At one point, the talk was all about the big three quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft. Andrew Luck was the surefire first pick, but Matt Barkley and Landry Jones were also a part of that conversation, listed among the top 10 picks in a mock draft by some of the most well-known Draft experts. Suddenly, Jones’ skills and stock are being called into question.
Russ Lande of the Sporting News says Jones isn’t even a certain first round pick anymore, and before you cringe and scowl, remember what’s happened in recent years to other sure things like Jimmy Clausen or Colt McCoy — guys who unexpectedly fell much farther than anyone could have predicted.
Lande writes, "Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones continues to be a source of debate among scouts. When the season began, many expected Jones to have a great junior campaign that would put him in line to be one of the top five players in the 2012 draft (if he came out early). Now, after a season in which he went through some ups and downs, a number of scouts believe he is not worth drafting in the first round.
“There is little doubt Jones has the ability to get rid of the ball quickly and has the touch to make accurate deep passes,” he continues, “but there are some concerns about his a ability to move in the pocket and his accuracy on short and intermediate passes.”
That’s either great news for a team that can pick up a dynamic young starting option later than expected or else bad news that he could become clones of the aforementioned quarterbacks like Clausen. Surely his stock will continue to rise and fall given the drama of the pre-draft workout season, but this isn’t good news for Jones at all.