Ducks Go Down: Outcome of National Championship Game Could Benefit Chip Kelly & Eagles

3.) Cardale Jones 

Jan 12, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Cardale Jones (12) walks off the field after the 2015 CFP National Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Ezekiel Elliot was the much-deserved winner of the Offensive MVP from Monday’s National Championship game. That said, all anyone is talking about Tuesday morning is Ohio State quarterback Cardale Jones. The redshirt Sophomore, making just his 3rd career start, dazzled throughout the game with both his arm and legs. Teaming up with Elliot, Jones starred in a backfield that became the focal point of the Ohio State offense as they gashed a withered Oregon defense to the tune of 538 total yards. Save for a couple untimely mistakes by the young man, Jones did himself nothing but favors Monday night.

On an evening that started with everyone talking about the NFL prospects of Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, it did not take long for the conversation to shift to Cardale Jones. His effortless deep ball, freight-train speed, and a surprisingly impressive pocket presence made Jones the focal point of Twitter-GMs all over the country. To their credit, it was hard to come away from that game more impressed with anyone else on the field.

In his last exposure to a National Championship game, Kelly got a front-row ticket to see eventual 1st overall pick Cam Newton and what an imposing, athletic, developing young quarterback could do for an offense. There’s no doubt Chip went into the contest with his sights set on his former quarterback Mariota. Leaving ‘JerryWorld’ however, one wouldn’t blame Kelly for being a bit distracted by what he saw from Cardale Jones.

As far as what this means for Kelly, and the rest of the NFL for that manner, only time will tell. Jones is eligible for the NFL Draft, but some are uncertain as to whether he will decide to take advantage of his high stock and submit his name or return to Ohio State for further seasoning. It seems funny to think that a decision from a player who no one cared much for four weeks ago has a chance to drastically alter to early stages of the NFL Draft.

Were it not for the fact that Jones is already a father, I would firmly believe him to be returning to Columbus. However, there just seems to be so much working towards him forgoing the rest of his college career and entering the draft. His stock may never be higher than it is after Monday night. He is trending in the right direction both physically and developmentally. There isn’t too much ‘bad tape’ on him yet (3 career starts). Finally, he might just end up being a more impressive prospect than either of the two players projected to go ahead of him at his position. Maybe it’s because I’m jaded by the fact that most players opt to enter the professional ranks, but I just can’t see this guy going back to school.  Having another potential high-end quarterback prospect enter the draft is a good thing for every team. Teams that don’t want a quarterback can usually garner a higher value from their selection because it means a team overdrafted to get their signal-caller of the future. Teams that do need a quarterback are given one more chip to run through the grinder and see if he has what it takes to get the job done at the next level.  Whether or not they have any intentions of selecting him at some point in the draft, Cardale Jones entering his name would be a positive for the Eagles.  From a physical standpoint, Jones would perhaps be the most intriguing prospect in the class of 2014. He has a missile of an arm and a size / strength / speed combination that is matched perhaps only by Cam Newton. He is extremely raw and, given his limited snaps with the Ohio State first team, would need considerable coaching. That said, were Jones to declare for the draft, he would be the most polarizing prospect in terms of where teams would start to consider drafting him. One would have to think that Jones would fall at least to the 2nd or 3rd round at the highest.  Chip got a great look at Cardale Jones and saw what he could bring to the table. Considering the workload Kelly puts on his quarterbacks from a mental standpoint, the Eagles would have to divert considerable resources to help him get up to speed. Regardless of the draft pick used to get him, Jones would probably be the second or third string quarterback with the biggest magnifying glass on him in the league. What potentially bringing in Jones would do for the Eagles is allow them to keep Nick Foles on board in a low-risk capacity. Jones would not be challenging Foles for the Day 1 starter’s job and the organization would be able to see how the potential free agent-to-be would perform as far as trying to convince them he was worthy of a contract extension. If not, the Eagles could have a preferable option waiting in the wings in Jones after a year of learning. It’s purely speculative over whether Kelly would even like to try and groom a prospect like Jones to be his quarterback of the future. Still, it’s no accident that the biggest topic of Tuesday sports discussion was whether or not three games against college football’s best is enough to make Jones a legitimate pro prospect.