Duke OC Zac Roper on QB Daniel Jones' strengths, weaknesses, and how he'd fit with Patriots

Duke offensive coordinator Zac Roper knew the exact moment the Blue Devils had a real talent in quarterback Daniel Jones.

As a redshirt freshman in his fourth career college start — at the age of 19 — Jones led Duke into Notre Dame Stadium, and went 24-for-32 for 290 yards with three touchdowns in a 38-35 win over the Fighting Irish.

“We went in there and we fell behind early, but he wasn’t rattled, and stayed in the moment,” Roper told BostonSportsJournal.com. “He got really hot, and put a fourth-quarter drive together to win the game.


“To go into that environment as an underdog and to have that success … he never panicked. He never wavered. He never lost his confidence. For him to be able to go into Notre Dame Stadium and beat a fine football team like that one at that age as a redshirt freshman, that was when you know you had something special.”



Jones used that game as the jumpstart for an impressive career with the Blue Devils, one that included 8,201 yards passing, 52 touchdowns and MVP honors at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. While learning at the feet of Roper and noted quarterback whisperer David Cutcliffe, he became a two-time team MVP and three-time Academic All-ACC selection. He was also a two-time team captain and the Offensive Player of the Game in the 2018 Walk-On's Independence Bowl vs. Temple and MVP of the 2017 Quick Lane Bowl vs. Northern Illinois.

All that means the 21-year-old — who was four years old when Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl — is now part of a conversation with a variety of other quarterbacks in this draft as someone who could be attractive to the Patriots, either at the end of the first round or sometime in the second.

"If they were going to be looking at some guys at 32, and I look at Daniel Jones to me if he were to fall down that far would make a lot of sense for them," NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah said of the Patriots. "He's somebody that's just ... he's very bright. He's going to be able to kind of swallow the information you're going to have to swallow in that offense in due time. He's got touch and accuracy, does not have a huge arm, but just a real smooth rhythm quarterback, which is something they value in a big way.”

“Tom Brady is going to be 42 when the 2019 season begins. Forty-two! It’s unbelievable what he’s continuing to do on the field, but the Patriots have to start thinking about the future … right?” asked ESPN’s Mel Kiper in his first mock draft of the season. “Jones could be the heir apparent. He has learned from quarterback guru David Cutcliffe at Duke, and you see it in his footwork. He excels in the pocket. Jones is athletic too, and he has a big, 6-foot-4 frame.”



Last year with the Blue Devils, Jones completed 61 percent of his passes to go along with 2,674 yards, 22 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. While scouts and coaches praise his technique and footwork, the accuracy probably isn’t where the Patriots hope it would be. Roper provided some insight into Jones’ mindset when it comes to some of his bad throws, saying decisiveness can be an issue when it comes to his game.

“Something he knows he has to work on is that there would be times where he’d be so competitive and so trusting in his ability to fit a ball into a tight window, he would hold on to the ball too long,” recalled Roper. “If things weren’t developing as he hoped, he would try and hold it a bit longer than he should. Not because he didn’t know where to go with it, but he was just so competitive when it came to those situations, he was trying to get something done.

“He has to understand there are times when the play is over and he has to stop competing. Sometimes, when you are sitting on a first and 10 and nothing is working, he has to be able to throw the ball away and move on to second down instead of holding onto the ball and taking a sack or turning it over. But that’s something he knows, and he continues to work on.”

Two things that certainly jump off the page when you talk about Jones as a potential Patriot is his football IQ, as well as the fact his body type is astoundingly similar to Brady — he’s 6-foot-5, 220, while Brady is 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds. By themselves, those things aren’t necessarily the sort of traits that will make him a New England draft pick, but they certainly don’t hurt his case.