Cardale Jones NFL Draft Decision Confirmed? 'Not Ready'; What It Means for JT Barrett and Braxton Miller
ByBraxton Miller and J.T. Barrett may have been mum so far on their future with Ohio State, but they also may have been waiting to see what Cardale Jones does.
Now, the redshirt sophomore has shown his hand, Jones confirmed he will stay in college at least one more season. Miller and Barrett, the other two Ohio State QBs, likely have schools that would gladly accept them as transfers, or they could try to win the Buckeyes' starting QB position.
At a news conference Tuesday morning, ESPN reported, Jones announced his decision.
"I mean, it's very odd," he said. "You know, I'm going to be starting three games in three years, and you know, guys play their whole career to have that buildup and have that motivation to play in the NFL. In my personal opinion, I'm not ready for that level yet. I mean, like coach [Urban] Meyer said, it's a conversation me and him will have later down the road. But to me right now, it's far out."
In the same presser, Meyer said he was not ready to discuss the impending quarterback situation. For their part, Miller and Barrett have been doing whatever they can to brush off questions about their futures.
While Miller would be eligible for the NFL Draft, his stock would be considerably low since he spent the season with an injured shoulder. He also wants to prove himself as a passer, rather than just a mobile QB, so he would need another season to do that. His best option may be transferring, since he would be the only one of the three who could transfer and play right away.
Barrett could not declare for the draft if he wanted to and may be best suited staying put. With Jones coming back, and if Miller leaves, the QB competition would be down to two. Barrett would also stand to take over should Jones leave for the NFL in a year's time.
That leaves Jones, an intriguing NFL prospect given his size and arm strength, though many evaluators would call him severely unpolished. One more season may or may not fix that, but there are already plenty of voices who thought Jones should go pro now.
Jones is 22, so give him a year and see what happens.