The Duke Football signal caller went down with an injury on Saturday against Northwestern and that could spell trouble for the Blue Devils for the remainder of the season.
Daniel Jones led the Duke Blue Devils to its second straight win Saturday against Northwestern but was forced to exit the game in fourth quarter with an apparent shoulder injury. While it is unclear just how much time, if any, Jones will miss, the injury will affect more than just Duke’s immediate schedule.
Coming into the season, Daniel Jones was ranked 12thon Rotoworld’s 2019 NFL Draft quarterbacks list. Jones, at 6-5, 220lbs., has all the physical characteristics of a classic NFL quarterback.
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Through the air, Jones has thrown for 5,916 yards during his career at Duke. What separates Jones from other quarterback prospects is his ability to use his legs. Jones’ for his career has rushed for over 1,000 yards with 15 rushing touchdowns. In the 2017 season, Jones joined elite company as one of six Power 5 quarterbacks to throw for 2,500 yards and rush for 500 yards.
The knock on Daniel Jones has been his accuracy, specifically his accuracy down the field. For Jones’ first two seasons at Duke, he posted a 59.8 completion percentage, but that number is deceiving.
According to ESPN, Jones’ completion percentage for the month of October in 2017 was just 45.5%. While Duke never officially reported an injury for Jones, it was clear to anyone watching that Jones was struggling to drive the ball down the field.
The apparent injury coincided with a six-game losing streak lose streak following a 4-0 start for the Blue Devils. Take away this one month, and Jones’ career completion percentage jumps to 63%, excluding the first two games of this season.
While Jones’ raw numbers are impressive, the most intriguing aspect of his potential draft stock is what head coach David Cutcliffe thinks of the quarterback. Cutcliffe raves about Jones’ demeanor at the quarterback position, and when the Duke head coach speaks highly of a quarterback, NFL scouts listen.
Cutcliffe, of course, groomed Peyton Manning as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, and later Eli Manning as the head coach at Ole Miss. Combined, Cutcliffe has one of the most impressive quarterback resumes in all of football and has since instilled this knowledge into Duke’s own Daniel Jones.
With Cutcliffe’s immeasurable quarterback coaching experience, Jones has an advantage few college quarterbacks have. Coupled with Jones’ raw talent, the Duke quarterback is an interesting NFL prospect for teams looking for a backup quarterback. Jones is still a work in a progress but is trending in the right direction.
Through Duke’s first two games of the 2018-2019 season, Jones’ has completed 74.4% of his passes, amassing 389 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions.