NFL Rumors: Arizona Cardinals, San Diego Chargers Will Target Cardale Jones In Draft
NFL rumors have swirled around the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers both vying for the same quarterback in the upcoming draft, according to several media outlets.
Multiple reports claimed that the two NFL franchises with the most interest in the 253-pound quarterback out of Ohio State are the Arizona Cardinals and the San Diego Chargers. The evidence that Cardale Jones will be targeted by both teams is both teams have scheduled trips this week leading up to the NFL Draft, the rumors have suggested.
Two teams travel to Ohio to meet with QB Cardale Jones: https://t.co/mXlreKFTlm (via @NFL_CFB) pic.twitter.com/1biru94eLF
— NFL (@NFL) April 23, 2016
Fans of the Arizona Cardinals and the San Diego Chargers may be excused if they have tempered excitement about drafting Cardale Jones. With limited in-game experience at Ohio State, the team that drafts Cardale may be gambling with the draft pick, ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler wrote in his article.
“A recent positional analysis from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted scouts as calling Jones a ‘a poor man’s JaMarcus Russell’ and a talent ‘you can’t pass’ on. That’s what you call NFL range.”
The other knock on Cardale has been his passion for the game. Even his college coach, Urban Meyer, agreed with this assessment, a potentially damning note that could lead either the Arizona Cardinals or the San Diego Chargers to look the other way, Fowler explained.
“As one NFL offensive coach who watched that pro day said: ‘Lots of talent and lots of question marks. Just don’t know how much he loves football.'”
The history on Cardale Jones makes the NFL Draft prospect that much more intriguing for the Arizona Cardinals and the San Diego Chargers. As the third option at Ohio State in 2014, Jones sat patiently on the bench until being called upon in the final game of the regular season. When given the chance, Cardale was magnificent, helping the Buckeyes win the Big 10 Championship in overwhelming fashion over Wisconsin.
As an encore, Cardale Jones led his team over two talented squads in the first college football playoffs en route to the school’s first National Championship in more than a decade. The victories helped Jones start off 2015 as the starter for the Buckeyes, a position he lost midway through the year due to ineffective play.
Report: Chargers, Cardinals doing last-minute homework on Cardale Jones https://t.co/hVLzgNJlYb pic.twitter.com/a8b9FGSpzI
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) April 21, 2016
For his collegiate career, Cardale Jones threw only 270 passes in 23 game appearances. Despite his limited on-the-field career, Pro Football Talk‘s Zac Jackson explained why at least the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers are expected to give Cardale Jones a chance.
“It’s tough to find players with that size and arm strength combination, and Jones seems to fit the mold of what Cardinals coach Bruce Arians likes in his quarterbacks. The Chargers signed Philip Rivers to a four-year extension last year and would be in position to bring Jones along slowly… There aren’t many — and maybe aren’t any — who have the physical gifts Jones has, so these meetings could prove to be very important.”
With a limited playing career to dissect, teams taking the former Buckeye will need to have patience, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer reportedly cautioned. Both the Arizona Cardinals and San Diego Chargers are in positions to give Cardale Jones this opportunity to have experienced starters in front of him in Carson Palmer and Rivers, respectively.
While NFL rumors have focused on the Arizona Cardinals or the San Diego Chargers as selecting Cardale Jones, another media outlet is suggesting that the Buffalo Bills may also be in the running. A local Buffalo TV station profiled the 6-5 signal caller, attempting to dispel burgeoning dislike for the athlete. Many local fans were not impressed with the soon-to-be rookie, suggesting he would be no better than E.J. Manual has been for the Buffalo Bills.
What do you think about Cardale Jones being the target for both the Arizona Cardinals and the San Diego Chargers in the upcoming draft? Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.
[Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images]
