Daniel Jones is the most unique quarterback in pro football.

Watching Daniel Jones play football is a unique experience that other players are not able to replicate, regardless of how Jones plays.

Jones is in his third year with the New York Giants, and it is a critical juncture for him. He needs to prove to the Giants that he is a franchise quarterback, as he failed to do so in his past two seasons.

However, anyone can struggle as an NFL quarterback. What makes Jones so special?

Jones is in an incredibly unique situation. The Giants organization is not afraid to spend money and help Jones, but the Giants still actively make decisions that ultimately hurt Jones and his development.

Daniel Jones is not a quarterback who is guaranteed to be a bust. Daniel Jones is not a good quarterback, either. Instead, his situation and playstyle led to Daniel Jones crafting out an identity that no other quarterback could match.

Daniel Jones is the strangest quarterback in the NFL, and that’s not going to stop any time soon. Let’s see how that happened.

#HellShells

The prospective Daniel Jones

When Daniel Jones became a prospect for the NFL Draft, I drew up a quick scouting report for him. I showcased what kind of player I believed he could become, and I believe I hit the nail on the head on some of my evaluations.

Daniel Jones, in college, showed flashes of being a quality starting NFL quarterback. He showed enough intelligence on the field and had the athleticism to legitimately survive in the league. I assumed going into his Duke tape that he did not deserve to be considered a decent quarterback prospect, but he genuinely surprised me in a few areas.

However, I still pegged him as a 3rd-round level prospect with upside. Daniel Jones’ biggest issue, in my opinion, came in the form of deep ball accuracy. His arm is not entirely impressive, so he cannot drive it the way other quarterbacks can. Usually, quarterbacks with that sort of talent deficiency can make up for it with superb accuracy. Jones, however, always seemed to miss his deep shots by just a hair. That concerned me, and combined with his generally spotty pocket presence, I believed he needed a little bit to develop.

Looking back, though, I understand the rationality for Jones as a higher end quarterback prospect. He played with a horrendous ing cast at Duke, which affected his ability to stay within the pocket and make throws. He also suffered a collarbone injury in college, so that probably affected his accuracy. He still did not deserve to be taken within the top-15 or even top-30 picks, but there is a rationale for Jones as an intelligent, mobile quarterback with upside. That rationale led him to become the 6th overall pick.

Let’s see how he transformed from middling quarterback prospect to one of the most intriguing players in the NFL.

The developing Daniel Jones

The Giants initially planned to develop Jones as a backup to Eli Manning. He had some growing to do as a quarterback in the NFL, which is why the Giants remained patient for all of two games before chucking Jones into the fire.

Jones’ rookie season resulted in a 24-12 TD:INT ing ratio. On the surface, that’s honestly pretty good. The interception rate is a bit high, but Jones proved himself as a player that could legitimately score in the NFL.

The problem with Jones is his insane amount of turnovers. According to pro-football-reference.com, Jones fumbled the ball 19 times. That is astounding, and that gives him a total of 26 touchdowns to 31 turnovers.

Jones’ fumbling issue developed as a professional player, as this aspect of his game did not appear in college. However, if we understand Daniel Jones the prospect, this sort of thing should have been expected. Jones had 0 pocket awareness in college, and though people chalked it up to Duke having one of the worst offensive lines in the nation, that trend still continued in the NFL.

In a way, Daniel Jones’ rookie year showed what kind of enigmatic player he is. Yes, he had a turnover differential unseen since the days of Jameis Winston, but he flashed enough NFL talent to have a legitimate defense. After all, his top receiver was 5th-round pick Darius Slayton, and his offensive line did him no favors.

However, I believe the Daniel Jones experience truly begins in his sophomore season. That’s where he goes from turnover prone rookie to a legitimately interesting NFL quarterback.

The Daniel Jones in dire straights

Daniel Jones’ 2020 season did not look particularly great. His numbers remained generally unimpressive and he statistically regressed. From this perspective, he is trending toward “bust” status.

However, Daniel Jones actually improved as a quarterback in 2020. He still had many issues that remained problematic such as the consistent turnovers, but he seemed a lot more poised and accurate. He had legitimate progression.

However, this year also spawned a narrative about him that I find fascinating. According to places such as PFF, Jones ranked as one of the top deep ers in the NFL in 2020. This sort of thing is where I’d like to dissect Daniel Jones as a player a bit further, as well as the organization around him.

Jones plays for offensive coordinator Jason Garrett, who is infamously conservative with the ball. This leads to minimal deep ball attempts, and this heavily skews Jones’ deep accuracy.

Jones does hit receivers when going to deep es, but he’s not doing it in a traditional way. Most quarterbacks try to lead their receivers to open space so the receivers can catch the ball and score. Jones does the exact opposite. When throwing deep, he usually underthrows the ball, and his receiver has to win. More often than not, Jones’ receiver wins these 50/50 balls and it counts as a deep .

Is Jones an adequate deep er? No. However, he’s shown who he is as an NFL quarterback. He’s a highly volatile player with tremendous upside. He does not help his receivers the way a traditional quarterback does, but he’s successful in these attempts. This explains the Kenny Golloday g, as he is a perfect 50/50 deep ball receiver. The Giants are fully aware that Jones relies on those es, so the organization paid top dollar for a receiver that can essentially function as a big body for Jones to chuck the ball up to.

The other intriguing part of Jones is his running ability. I knew he was athletic coming into the NFL, but Jones legitimately has wheels. He’s not a typical runner at all. He relies more on initially winning at the first level and then blazing past at the second level once he’s built up speed. He’s not Lamar Jackson or any other mold of running quarterback in history. He kind of reminds me of how Leonard Fournette runs. Fournette does not have a great initial burst, but if he breaks a run past the 10-yard mark, he builds speed. Jones evidently does the same, because ESPN tracked him as one of the fastest quarterbacks in the NFL during his long runs.

With this, we have a profile on who Daniel Jones is. Daniel Jones is a quarterback with an okay arm and no pocket presence. He does not care about pressure and he tries to deliver the big play regardless of whether there is a rusher in his face. He does not have the arm strength to justify this play style, but he throws up a decent enough 50/50 ball to where his deep ing is considered accurate. He also is one of the fastest players in the NFL. Does this sound like any other quarterback in the league? To me, Jones is entirely unique.

Will Jones succeed in New York? I honestly do not believe so. The front office seems to understand what kind of player Jones is, but the coaching staff does not. Jason Garrett’s marriage to the short game is the ultimate downfall to Jones. His best ability is 50/50 deep balls and he is being asked to throw 5-yard slants instead.

Additionally, his offensive line is still really bad. Despite New York’s best efforts, this will probably lead to more fumbles and turnovers. That’s entirely Jones’ fault, but if the organization knows that’s a weakness of its franchise quarterback, it has to build around that weakness. New York has failed to do so thus far.

That’s why Jones is so intriguing. He’s in a situation that does not fit him, but he is talented enough to show what kind of player he is. He is not an ascending quarterback, but his skill set is not entirely awful. He has turnover issues, but they are surprisingly manageable. He is not a mobile quarterback, but he is a fast quarterback.

What does Jones’ future hold?

The future Daniel Jones

When evaluating Daniel Jones for the 2019 NFL Draft, I compared Jones’ physical toolset to Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill actually is a great match for Jones, as he is a great athlete with an inconsistent early career. When looking back at that comparison, though, I believe it goes deeper.

As of right now, Daniel Jones’ issues are impossible to ignore. His consistent turnovers and inability to feel pressure hold him back from truly evolving. With that being said, his greatest curse is also a blessing.

This may be an odd projection, but Jones’ skillset leads me to believe that he is nowhere near his ceiling as a player. I believe Daniel Jones will remain in the NFL for the next decade, and I would not be shocked to see him as a starting quarterback at age 30 for another team. He fits the mold of a modern NFL quarterback, oddly enough. He is gifted as a runner, but his running is different from other quarterbacks with legs. Jones’ game is not dependent on speed, but surprise. He wants to catch opponents off guard with his ability. Everyone will know that he’s a capable runner years from now, but he’s still a big, doofy dude. He’s going to be shocking linebackers for years to come.

His two big negative attributes strike me as flexible within different environments. Daniel Jones cannot stop fumbling the football and he is unable to feel pressure. What happens if you surround Daniel Jones with an offensive line that is not relying on Andrew Thomas and Nate Solder? That’s not to say a better team makes those issues go away; it’s more so that a better ing cast can mitigate those issues.

Daniel Jones is not Ryan Tannehill. Despite the uncanny athletic and career resemblance, I don’t see Jones, a player who struggles with consistency, suddenly exploding into a top-10 quarterback. However, I can see him having a successful NFL career because he can do the two things that teams love; he can run and he can throw.

Daniel Jones plays like he does not give a shit about his opponent, and that is a good thing. Coaches love confidence, and confidence can lead to great positive momentum. If Daniel Jones gets let go from the Giants, some team is going to see this guy who stands in the face of pressure and chucks a great 50/50 ball to the nearest boundary receiver, regardless of results and love it. That bravery is rare in a lot of NFL players, and it’ll earn him a decent NFL career.

As a top-10 pick, Jones’ career may not go the way he or the Giants wanted. However, it doesn’t really matter. Jones is a unique quarterback, and no matter what, that is what allows him to succeed.