Daniel Jones is off the board. The Duke quarterback was selected No. 6 overall by the New York Giants in the 2019 NFL Draft on Thursday night.
The Blue Devils' passer was one of the more polarizing prospects in this year's draft class. Many of the new-age analytical types weren't fans, while old-school traditional scouts were singing his praises. Jones never put up big numbers in college, but scouts were enamored with his size and potential.
A three-year starter at Duke, Daniel Jones threw for 2,674 yards, 22 touchdowns, and nine interceptions last season. He completed only 60.5 percent of his passes, which was a red flag to some. One thing a lot of people liked about Jones was that he was coached by David Cutcliffe at Duke.
Cutcliffe is highly regarded in NFL circles, and he has always stood by Jones. For his career, Jones finished with 8,201 yards, 52 touchdowns, and 29 interceptions while completing 59.9 percent of his passes. Compared to the other top quarterbacks in this year's draft, Jones was a relative unknown to most fans.
Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray both played for top teams that were always in the national spotlight, and Drew Lock had been hyped as a future first-round pick for a long time. Jones came out of nowhere to shoot to prominence during the draft process.
Duke went 19-19 during the three years Jones started at quarterback, and the Blue Devils never got much national buzz. It was only after Jones declared for the draft that we started to hear more and more about him. At 6-5, Jones has a big arm and has been praised for his anticipation, which is crucial at the next level. Given how split the opinions on him were, it'll be very interesting to see how he pans out in the pros.