Oklahoma QB Landry Jones: 2013 NFL Draft Profile

Many have speculated that Jones hurt himself by coming back for his senior, because his draft stock may have fallen. That may, or may not, be the case when this weekend's NFL draft rolls around. What we do know is that someone is going to take him and they're going to get an NFL caliber arm but will need to work on some things as far as mental adjustments are concerned.

From the time Landry Jones took the field as a redshirt freshman he's both wowed and frustrated fans. He was always a player that showed promise and a lot of upside. He was named the offensive MVP of the 2009 Sun Bowl and 2010 Fiesta Bowl. He helped Oklahoma win two Big 12 championships..we'll one outright championship (2010) and a co-championship in 2012 that no one really wants to claim. However, he also progressively made the same mistakes of rushing his throws and not reading through his progressions whenever there was pressure.

He'll leave Oklahoma as the most prolific passer in Sooner history, but also one of the most frustrating quarterbacks to watch according to many fans.

Vitals

Career Moment 11-17-12

In Oklahoma's 50-49 shootout win, at West Virginia, Jones passed for 554 yards and 6 touchdowns, including the game winner to receiver Kenny stills with under 30 seconds remaining on the clock. Jones checked out of the play called from the sideline (which was rumored to be a fade) and into the slant route for Stills. You can see him communicating with Stills just before the snap.

This game highlighted everything that is the potential of Landry Jones. A strong arm, accurate thrower and a leader with the game on the line. If there was a knock against him, it would be that after four years as a starter he was still showing potential and not the fully developed quarterback that many thought he would become.

Strengths

Arm Strength

Already has an NFL caliber arm and could develop into one of the strongest passers in the league within a few years. Puts enough zip on the ball to quickly get it into the flat, and throws with accuracy in all ranges. Can hit the deep ball with regularity and stretch the field.

Foot Work

Keeps his feet active in the pocket which helps him stay in rhythm and also gives him the ability to easily, and quickly, step up in the pocket in the face of pressure.

Size

At 6-4/225 he already has good body size for an NFL quarterback. While he could stand to add a little more weight, he is ready now to step into the league and take the type of hits the NFL will bring.

Experience

As a four-year starter at Oklahoma, Jones dropped back to pass 2,183 times in college. He has good mechanical habits already and those were reinforced in his four years at Oklahoma.

Weaknesses

Struggles Under Center

This is simply an experience issue. I would say the 95% of the snaps he took in college were from the shotgun so naturally he's more inclined to have success from there and will need to work on setting up from under the center.

Progression Reads

This is most likely his biggest area for improvement. He's quick to check down to an underneath guy but not consistent at progressing through his down field reads. Will have to work on that in a hurry to be completely NFL ready.

Not Very Mobile

Runs straight up and isn't very quick. He naturally goes into a backpedal under pressure instead of stepping up in the pocket or rolling to the sideline. Pressure also seems to effect his passing motions in the setup phase.

Projections

Initially Jones was tabbed as a third to fourth round pick, and then possibly even later than that. However because of the uncertainty of the quarterbacks in this year's draft, he could end up sneaking in as high as late in the first round or early second. The Vikings are said to have him on their draft board as well as the the Bills, the Eagles and the Jets.