Below is the PFF draft profile for OSU's Cardale Jones which incorporates PFF’s college grades and scouting intel from our team of analysts. To see all of PFF’s 2016 scouting reports, click here.
Position fit: Developmental QB. Has tools and he’s inexperienced, so something may click down the road
Stats to know: -6.5 grade ranked 39th in the draft class in 2015
What he does best:
• Cannon for an arm. Can make tight-windowed throws that other quarterbacks would not even attempt
• Will cycle through reads at times and find the open man
• Shows touch, even if accuracy is inconsistent
• Keeps his eyes downfield when maneuvering around the pocket. Looking to pass and make a big play
• Flashes excellent accuracy on 1-5 yard passes, hit receivers in stride more than most
• Big body and athleticism make him difficult to tackle in our out of the pocket. Forced 37 missed tackles on 127 carries each of the last two years
Biggest concern:
• Accuracy is all over the place, among the worst in the class at the most important ranges: six through 30 yards
• Accuracy is poor on passes that lead receivers, either horizontally or vertically up the field
• Does not always see underneath defenders, will make poor throws into coverage.
• Timing is not great in the pass game, often late but his arm will make up for it
• His big arm is irrelevant beyond 20 yards. Accuracy percentage of 46.9 percent ranked 17th in the draft class, but even many of his completions were underthrows with the wide receiver working back to make the play
• Last year was similar, made a lot of big plays in the passing game but many of them were Devin Smith adjusting to poorly thrown passes
Bottom line: Jones is a project, but perhaps a better one than others in the class given his inexperience. Even during the championship run in 2014, he was very inconsistent from snap-to-snap and 2015 was even worse. Still, the size and arm are intriguing, as is some of his work in and out of the pocket. Ultimately, however, it comes down to improving his shoddy accuracy and that’s a major hill to climb.