Landry Jones looking for success on the next level

Former Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones will show off his talents to pro scouts this Saturday at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. For Jones to be successful in the NFL, he needs a team to draft him and make him learn by holding the clipboard for a few years. It would not benefit him to be drafted by a crummy team like Kansas City or Oakland where he starts from day one.

New England, Green Bay or Denver would be ideal for Mr. Jones. Josh McDaniels helped develop Tom Brady for the Patriots. Tom Clements became offensive coordinator last year for the Packers, moving up from quarterbacks coaching position. His pupil? Aaron Rodgers. Landry also could learn a lot from Peyton Manning, who would be a hell of a mentor.

Being a backup for a few years would give Landry time to hone his skills. He’s got tremendous arm strength and has proven he can complete the deep ball with some good accuracy. His best throws have been outside the numbers and into the field side. And, he does well delivering on deep outs. He has shown he can throw in between a cornerback and a safety in a cover zone. He does well in play action and executes the pump fake with his shoulders.

But Jones does not follow through with his arm by consistently bringing over his shoulder. He needs to improve his footwork, and he doesn’t rotate his hips on delivery. His power comes from the upper body.

Anticipation is another weakness. Landry lacks the ability to time the pattern and throw into an area where his receiver could run underneath, which has resulted in incomplete passes or interceptions.

Landry’s decision-making also could improve. He’s not poised when under pressure, throws into double coverage and struggles with turnovers.

Jones worked on his skills when he learned from quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr. last spring. That demonstrated that he's determined to be a better quarterback by flying out to California to work with Whitfield. “He could have easily been sitting on the couch with his family … but no, this guy puts on cleats and does two-a-days and travels somewhere just to try and get himself improved,” Whitfield said.

With that attitude, maybe Jones could be a starter in the NFL in a few years.