The last pass Cardale Jones threw in his college football career lost two yards.
Ohio State led a woeful Illinois team 28-3 on the road and Braxton Miller lined up aside the quarterback in the backfield while the Buckeyes churned out their 10th win of 2015. Jones pushed a pass to his left to Miller upon receiving the snap, but the Illini snuffed it out, and Miller did all he could to dance and only lose two yards.
Jones never saw the field again at Ohio State.
J.T. Barrett, who took over full-time as Ohio State's starting quarterback for good at the beginning of the Illinois game after he sat out the week before because of an OVI citation, played the rest of the snaps at the position in his team's final three games last year. Ultimately a better fit for Urban Meyer's offense, Barrett is the starter heading into the 2016 season with Jones onto the NFL. What felt like a never-ending quarterback battle is officially no more.
Jones never lost a game he started in college. A perfect 11-0 record is highlighted by the three monumental victories against Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, top-ranked Alabama in the Sugar Bowl and finally No. 2 Oregon in the first-ever College Football Playoff National Championship Game. That trio served as Jones' first three career starts in place of Barrett, who broke his ankle early in the fourth quarter against Michigan in late November 2014.
Though he beat out Barrett for starting job out of camp in 2015, Jones could never recapture the lightning that ignited he and his team's remarkable run to the zenith of college football. He nearly left for the NFL a year ago, but saw his stock drop immensely after staying in school another season.
Still, Jones owns otherworldly arm strength and terrific size. Meyer, his former quarterbacks coach Tom Herman and even Barrett have said he is more cerebral in a football-sense than people think. He needs to develop more of his game and get more game reps to hone his fundamentals.
Where can Jones best do that in the NFL? Here are five franchises that offer such an opportunity.
Dallas Cowboys
Where They're Picking: First Round (fourth overall), Second Round (34th overall), Third Round (67th overall), Fourth Round (101st overall, 135th overall), Sixth Round (189th overall, 212th overall, 216th overall, 217th overall)
Breakdown: The Cowboys worked into the conversation as a fit for Jones as early as January. Dallas has a proven starter in Tony Romo, but he is 36 years old and hasn't played a full 16-game season since 2012. The other side of the ball will be addressed by the Cowboys in the earlier rounds of the draft, but they will assuredly be on the lookout for potentially their quarterback of the future. Jones would be able to learn from one of the best in the game for multiple seasons and show he belongs in the NFL without the pressure of being in a quarterback battle. Plus, Jerry Jones loves flashy players with rare abilities. Cardale's arm strength is second to none in this year's draft class.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Where They're Picking: First Round (25th overall), Second Round (58th overall), Third Round (89th overall), Fourth Round (123rd overall), Sixth Round (220th overall, 229th overall, 246th overall)
Breakdown: Pittsburgh is similar to Dallas in the sense it has an established starter at quarterback that is nearing the end of his run in Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers have one of the league's best offensive cores with running back Le'Veon Bell and wide receivers Antonio Brown and Martavis Bryant. The latter can't steer clear of drug suspensions, however, so his team could look at wide receivers in this draft for a replacement but it also desperately needs secondary help. With a slew of late-round picks, Pittsburgh could pick up Jones and add him to a quarterback room with Roethlisberger and Landry Jones. It would provide him an excellent chance to sit and learn for a few years.
Arizona Cardinals
Where They're Picking: First Round (29th overall), Third Round (92nd overall), Fourth Round (128th overall), Fifth Round (167th overall, 170th overall), Sixth Round (205th overall)
Breakdown: Arizona is set for the foreseeable future with Carson Palmer as its starter at the game's most vital position. The club also agreed with backup Drew Stanton on a new two-year deal that keeps him in the desert through 2017. Taking Jones in the fourth round or later puts Bruce Arians in position to groom another big-armed, big-bodied quarterback. It also adds some competition for third-stringer Matt Barkley, whom the team traded for in September. It's clear Arizona is set for now, but looking for the elusive 'next guy' at quarterback with Palmer and Stanton entering their 15th and 11th seasons. Could they take Jones and see him as that option? It looks like a fit.
Baltimore Ravens
Where They're Picking: First Round (sixth overall), Second Round (36th overall), Third Round (70th overall), Fourth Round (101st overall, 127th overall, 132th overall, 134th overall), Sixth Round (182nd overall, 209th overall)
Breakdown: Joe Flacco is a bit like Carson Palmer in the sense he owns one of the biggest arms in the league and is entering the back half of his prime. He also tore his ACL last season, which left the franchise scrambling at quarterback and led to the signing of Ryan Mallett in December. Houston cut Mallett near the midway point of the 2015 season after he overslept a few times and had other off-field instances that questioned his desire. With that in mind, it is doubtful Baltimore is looking at him as a future option. Since Flacco has a few more years left provided he stays healthy, John Harbaugh and Co. could look at Jones with one of their four fourth-round picks and try to prepare him for a shot as their future quarterback. He can throw it deep like Flacco, but needs time to develop the rest of his game. Jones can do that in Baltimore.
San Diego Chargers
Where They're Picking: First Round (third overall), Second Round (35th overall), Third Round (66th overall), Fourth Round (102nd overall), Fifth Round (175th overall), Sixth Round (179th overall, 198th overall), Seventh Round (224th overall)
Breakdown: The Chargers are in the same spot as the other teams on the list, with an aging starter at quarterback and no true answer for what is next at the position once he is gone. Kellen Clemens serves as Philip Rivers' backup, but he is an NFL journeyman with only 21 starts in 10 seasons. Rivers agreed to a four-year contract extension in 2015, but turns 35 in December so his team should look toward the future in this year's draft. Jones is in a class with a bevy of signal callers that won't likely make it as starters right away in the NFL, but he could be a fit with the Chargers if he can develop the touch that made Rivers so successful for the first 12 years of his career.
Honorable Mentions: Houston Texans, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills
