Duke fans are accustomed to seeing former Blue Devils selected highly in the NBA Draft, but Duke products certainly fare less successfully in the NFL Draft. Shockingly, Blue Devil quarterback Daniel Jones is projected to go ninth overall to the New York Giants in the latest CBS Sports 2019 NFL Mock Draft.
Chris Trapasso has Jones as the first quarterback selected and the successor to two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning. New York is off to an abysmal start in 2018, sitting at 1-5 with an offense that ranks No. 28 in points per game.
If the Blue Devil signal caller were to hear his name called that high in April, it would be Duke’s highest selection in the NFL Draft since linebacker Mike Junkin was taken fifth by the Cleveland Browns in 1987. Duke has not produced a first round pick since guard Laken Tomlinson in 2015, and no former Blue Devil quarterback has started an NFL game since Thad Lewis suited up for the Buffalo Bills in 2013.
Trapasso praised Jones’ “serious NFL signal-caller skills from within the pocket” and said that he is also “comfortable drifting away from pressure inside the pocket.” With the Blue Devils offensive line in a rough patch, the 6’5 quarterback is showing off his elusiveness to NFL scouts, who have reportedly been flocking to Wallace Wade Stadium this year.
Duke is 3-1 this season when their future NFL quarterback starts, behind his 821 passing yards and seven scores. Jones has generated a lot of buzz so far this year, popping up near the top of some QB rankings, but the Charlotte Latin product had yet to be placed as the top signal caller of the draft class until now.
With his collarbone seemingly healthy, it will be interesting to see if the movement for Jones as a first round talent picks up speed in the coming weeks, as Duke seeks bowl eligibility and an improvement over their seven win campaign last year.
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