This morning, Cardale Jones worked out in front of representatives from all 32 NFL teams at Ohio State’s Pro-Day. With Joey Bosa and Ezekial Elliott drawing the bulk of the attention, we identified a fascinating comparison for Cardale Jones. As we watched him line up under center and perform 5 and 7-step drops (Ohio State operates out of a Shotgun) we found a striking comparison.
In 1999, some of you might remember a 6’4″, 260lb, quarterback out of Central Florida by the name of Dante Culpepper. Dante ended up getting drafted 11th overall by the Minnesota Vikings and was one missed field goal away from playing in a Superbowl. Dante had a 10-year NFL career and was best known for his cannon of an arm.
With a nickname of “12-Guage” and measuring in at 6’5″, 249lbs, we noticed this morning that Cardale can make all of those same throws. While quick feet isn’t natural for guys like Dante and Cardale, their cannon-like arms are certainly worth taking a look at- especially for systems with a heavy running game that forces defenses to bring 8-men into the box (ie. Vikings, Seattle, Buffalo). We project seeing a team wanting to take advantage of Cardale’s talents somewhere between the 3-5ths rounds of this NFL Draft.
Path to the Draft 