Ohio State Buckeyes

Cardale Jones wants to show NFL he's more than a raw talent

Published Aug. 10, 2015 7:34 p.m. ET

Marcus Hartman

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Monday was the first day of Ohio State's preseason football camp, and thus the first day of what is expected to be an epic battle between Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett to be the starting quarterback.

Jones, though, could have avoided such a conflict -- or set himself up to go through a similar one somewhere else while drawing a real paycheck -- by declaring himself eligible for the 2015 NFL draft.

Why didn't he?

It had to do with the feedback he (or perhaps more accurately, Ohio State coach Urban Meyer and his high school coach, Ted Ginn Sr.) got from NFL sources.

“I’m pretty sure they probably had a different opinion about me than myself, just basically seeing what I could do on the field, not all the work that goes into being a quarterback and a football player outside the field," Jones said. "So that was a decision I made personally that I think I wasn’t ready for it yet.”

That was as specific as he got on that matter, saying for now he is thinking only about the 2015 season and trying to beat out Barrett.

At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds with a rocket for a right arm, Jones largely was perceived as a raw talent who could tempt teams with his potential while also presenting a risky choice given his playing resume of only three games.

Without saying as much, Jones sounded as if he felt in January like he was closer to a finished product than he was able to show the world.

Now he is looking forward to answering whatever questions NFL scouts might have, but he will have to beat out Barrett first.