North Carolina native and one-time Princeton commit Daniel Jones started every game he was eligible for at Duke after redshirting his first year on campus. A solid if not overwhelmingly successful first two seasons (as well as his 6’5” frame) put him on the radar of draft analysts heading into his redshirt junior year, where Jones solidified his place as an early-round prospect leading to his decision to leave school with a year of eligibility remaining. Here is a look at the most notable plays and throws for pro evaluation from his final year in Durham.
Game 1 vs Army: We begin with a gorgeous deep ball in the first half of the season opener against Army. Jones delivers this toss over 55 yards in the air to a perfect spot. The pocket footwork and throwing motion are exemplary as well.
Game 1 vs Army: Later in the game, Jones completes a tougher but less flashy throw to the corner of the end zone. You can see this is a timing play and Jones releases on rhythm with a beautiful spiral and perfect ball flight. This throw would challenge even an NFL starter.
Game 2 vs Northwestern: Jones feasted on the slant route on run/pass option plays and here is a great example for a touchdown at Northwestern. His wide base and compact but explosive throwing motion allow Jones to really drive the ball when throwing over the middle. When at his best, Jones’ understanding of proper ball placement is excellent as well, as it is in this case.
Game 2 vs Northwestern: A good look at Jones’ poise here he drops the snap but manages to recover and drive a deep ball over the top for a TD. It’s hard to deny that the 50+ yard deep throws were a dangerous and exciting specialty for the Duke QB.
Game 3 vs Virginia Tech: Yet another 50 yard bomb, this time Jones is forced to speed up his dropback and release due to a quickly closing pocket. Jones identifies the pressure, speeds up his process, takes a big hit and still delivers a 50 yard dart to an impossible-to-defend spot.
Game 3 vs Virginia Tech: The Va Tech game put pressure on Jones’ abilities in the short and intermediate pass game, where he is much less comfortable. This play demonstrates his occasional tendencies of locking on to his primary target and taking ill-advised risks throwing into traffic. He has the time to work back to his left slot WR, who was wide open near the 1st down marker. Instead, he gets locked onto his primary and forces a perilous throw.
Game 3 vs Virginia Tech: Jones is sneakily athletic and relatively mobile for his size and style of quarterback. Here he is able to complete a pass 20 yards in the air despite being held around the right leg in the pocket.
Game 4 vs Georgia Tech: Sometimes Jones’ athleticism and ability to complete difficult plays gets him into trouble, especially when combined with his propensity to throw into traffic. This 1st down play wasn’t blocked and should have been a sack or a throwaway. Jones instead attempts a crazy chuck and turns it over.
Game 4 vs Duke: Jones would bounce back to drop a touchdown in the bucket. Placement and trajectory are perfect here, even if the footwork is slightly lazy. Still, a good example of Jones’ prowess attacking in the red zone with touch.
Game 4 vs Duke: One of his finer plays on tape, Jones rises in the pocket, takes a huge hit and delivers a scary throw . The throw alone is a 10/10 but the whole package is even more impressive and is a high 1st round type of QB play.
Game 5 vs Virginia: It wouldn’t take long before Jones dialed up his next bomb, this time drilling a perfect throw with scary velocity and even better placement down the near sideline vs UVA. Somehow, it’s dropped but the throw could not have been better.
Game 5 vs Virginia: Just as there are moments where Jones can force into coverage in the intermediate passing game, he can get overzealous on deep shots as well, particularly when falling behind in the game. This attempt is just a prayer and an unnecessary one considering it was a 1st down play on the UVA 41.
Game 5 vs Virginia: Later in that game Jones would dial up an excellent laser in-stride up the sideline for a TD. There are several striking similarities between Jones and Sam Darnold but this throw in particular stands out as a comparison point. Sam has feasted on this throw both in college and now as a pro.
Game 6 vs Pittsburgh: Great ball placement sequence from the same 2nd quarter drive vs Pitt and a good direct example of accuracy leading to scoring opportunities. Both throws here are precisely where they need to be.
Game 6 vs Pittsburgh: Unfortunately that command of ball placement and quick processing is inconsistent, particularly in late game or pressure scenarios. Here are his final two plays from the Pitt loss. On the first, Jones misplaces an easy 1st down throw (although a good WR play could have bailed him out). On the second play Jones can’t get the ball out in time and allows a four man rush to pick up a critical sack.
Game 7 vs Miami: Back to the topic of his all-around athleticism, Jones can pooch punt when needed.
Game 7 vs Miami: On a critical 3rd down play in the 4th quarter of the Miami game, Jones fails to pull the trigger again here and takes a bad sack. As you can see, he moves well for a pocket QB of his size. But his decisions on exactly how and when to use his athleticism can be puzzling.
Game 8 vs North Carolina: This play is absolutely gorgeous. Jones’ rhythm, mechanics in the pocket, ball placement, accuracy and timing all combine for a giant play in this already high-scoring 1st quarter vs UNC. It is another good look at the technically sound and sturdy throwing base Jones creates with his legs.
Game 8 vs North Carolina: The best run from Jones’ redshirt junior season, this designed QB draw on 3rd down showcases his ability to be a playmaker as a runner. Duke called many, many designed QB runs for Jones and were particularly fond of using his athleticism in goal line situations.
Game 8 vs North Carolina: A gorgeous dime across Jones’ body and the field that was harder to drop than catch. But dropped anyway.
Game 8 vs North Carolina: Jones does deserve some credit for continuing to bomb beautiful passes to his overmatched WRs all season even as they continually dropped them. Their worst moment was the 2nd half of this one vs UNC. Notable about this play is Jones’ throwing motion. Look how consciously he adds height to the trajectory of this throw, leading him to achieve the ideal ball flight for the play.
Game 8 vs North Carolina: Just a couple minutes later, Jones had another dime dropped. Here he steps up in a crowded pocket and drives a scary throw into a tiny window.
Game 9 vs Clemson: Jones started off with two nice plays against his top competition of the year in Clemson. On the first he shows good poise and is able to read zone, then find his target quickly, then places a throw well enough for good YAC damage. The second play is even better, as Jones rolls to his weak side, resets, takes a hit and delivers an NFL-caliber deep throw… that is of course dropped. Still, these are both pro-level QB plays against a stellar defense.
Game 9 vs Clemson: Another two-play sequence, the first of which provides perhaps the best example of how Jones’ athleticism might translate to the NFL. Here he is able to evade 1st round edge prospect Clelin Ferrell and then scramble for over 10 yards. On the following 4th down play, the pooch punt returns, this time as a decoy as Duke smartly uses Clemson’s preparation against them. Jones executes perfectly, including the placement of his driven pass which allows for a big gain beyond the marker.
Game 11 vs Temple: The type of toss every QB dreams of starting a game with. Indicative of his growth during the season, Jones baits the first safety with a playfake and the second with his eyes, freeing up a well-designed ‘counter wheel.’ The play is another great look at Jones’ balanced and picturesque throwing base in the pocket.
Game 11 vs Temple: For all of his demonstrated talent, here Jones is still forcing the ball to his first option in the final game of his collegiate career. In his defense, the route had the corner and single high safety beat over the top. But a pro QB needs to see and feel the entire field, as well as the pass rush, and not just the path of the play’s intended target.
Game 11 vs Temple: If there was any doubt, the cross-field out is absolutely no problem for Jones.
Game 11 vs Temple: We’ll end with another Darnold-esque play and one that I suspect will draw the interest of pro scouts as a promising development area. Jones has the athleticism and arm to be a weapon outside of the pocket, a crucial trait in today’s NFL, but he has room to improve when it comes to experience converting these types of plays with consistency.