April 25, 2019
DURHAM, N.C. – Former Duke quarterback Daniel Jones was selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the New York Giants with the sixth overall pick.
“I can’t have enough praise for Daniel, his family or the process he went through to make a decision to bypass a last year here,” Duke head coach David Cutcliffe said. “Anytime you make a decision that is something you really want to do, you make a right decision. There’s a joy in watching players who have worked hard and been committed to the process. Daniel Jones embraces something we believe in here – real swag is no swag.”
Jones, a 6-5, 220-pound native of Charlotte, N.C., attended the NFL Draft in Nashville. He is the highest Blue Devil draft pick since Mike Junkin went fifth overall to the Cleveland Browns in 1987, and just the seventh Duke player to be selected in the opening round of the draft. Jones is the 14th Duke draft pick by the Giants and the first since Drew Strojny was a seventh round choice in 2004. Jones is also the first Blue Devil quarterback to be chosen in the NFL Draft since Sean Renfree went in the seventh round to the Atlanta Falcons in 2013.
A two-year captain and two-time team Most Valuable Player, Jones played in and started 36 career games with the Blue Devils and completed 764 of 1,275 (.599) passes for 8,201 yards with 52 touchdowns and 29 interceptions while rushing 406 times for 1,323 yards and 17 scores.
“He is big, intelligent and has a terrific arm,” Cutcliffe added. “His work ethic and commitment to excellence is right along those same lines. He has a focus on his job and he doesn’t distract easily. He is thirsty for this. It’s refreshing that Daniel’s passion is not money, but success as a player. I’ve never seen him lose his focus.”
Jones closed his career holding Duke all-time records for touchdown-to-interception ratio (1.79), pass completion-to-interception ratio (26.34), pass attempt-to-interception ratio (43.97) and pass attempts per game (35.42). In addition, on Duke’s all-time charts he ranks second in pass completion percentage, second in pass completions per game (21.22), second in most games with multiple touchdown passes (16), second in total offensive yards (9,524), second in TD responsibility (52 passing and 17 rushing), tied for second in games with 30 or more pass completions (5), tied for second in 100-yard rushing games by a quarterback (2), third in passing yards per game (227.81), third in TD passes, third in rushing TDs by a quarterback, tied for third in most games with three or more TD passes (6), third in TD passes of 20 or more yards (27), third in games with 20 or more pass completions (20), third in rushing yards by a quarterback, fourth in pass efficiency rating (122.86), tied for fourth in 300-yard passing games (9), fifth in passing yards, fifth in pass completions, fifth in pass attempts and tied for 14th in rushing TDs.
In 2018, Jones completed 237 of 392 (.605) passes for 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions while rushing for 319 yards and three TDs on 104 attempts. The regular season was highlighted by a pair of ACC Quarterback of the Week citations following wins over Northwestern and North Carolina. In the triumph over the Tar Heels, his third as Duke’s starting quarterback, Jones threw for 361 yards while rushing for 186 yards to post the fifth-highest single-game offensive yardage total (547) in ACC history, also the most by a Blue Devil in a single contest. He capped the season by earning Walk-On’s Independence Bowl Offensive Player of the Game honors after leading Duke to a 56-27 win over Temple thanks to a bowl-record 423 passing yards and six total touchdowns (5 passing and 1 rushing).
The selection of Jones is Duke’s first NFL Draft pick since Laken Tomlinson (first round) and Jamison Crowder (fourth round) were chosen in 2015.
Duke First Round NFL Draft Picks
Year Pick Player Team Position
1940 2 George McAfee Philadelphia Eagles RB
1942 4 Steve Lach Chicago Cardinals B
1965 14 Mike Curtis Baltimore Colts LB
1967 18 Bob Matheson Cleveland Browns LB
1987 5 Mike Junkin Cleveland Browns LB
2015 28 Laken Tomlinson Detroit Lions G
2019 6 Daniel Jones New York Giants QB
Podcasts/Media
-
Podcast
/ 1 day agoOutta Pocket with Michael Davis – Fri April 26th 2024
Outta Pocket with Michael Davis Fri Panel: Cody Lachney, Kevin Avery, Desmond Johnson (Producer)...
-
Podcast
/ 2 days agoOutta Pocket with Michael Davis – Thurs April 25th 2024
Hosted by Michael DavisPanel: Mike Mele, Aaron Schneider, Desmond Johnson (Producer) Part of Tobacco...
-
Podcast
/ 2 days agoBleav in Carolina Panthers – The One Before The Draft – Tues April 23rd 2024
Hosted by Tobacco Road Sports Radio’s Desmond Johnson and Panthers all time leading rusher...
-
Podcast
/ 1 week agoOutta Pocket with Michael Davis – Fri April 19th 2024
Hosted by Michael DavisFriday Panel: Austin Summers, Carsen Williams, Desmond Johnson (Producer) Participate live...
WWE
-
Podcast
/ 2 months agoDrop The Mike Podcast – Lodi Interview & Revolution Recap – Weds March 7th 2024
Lodi, former WCW wrestler, joins Drop the Mike this week for a special interview...
-
Podcast
/ 2 months agoDrop the Mike Podcast – Ep 75 – Weds Feb 14th 2024
The slap heard around the world! Join host Michael Davis and John Anthony (from...
-
Podcast
/ 3 months agoDrop The Mike Podcast – Wed Feb 7th 2024
The Rock or Cody Rhodes? Michael Davis is joined by Mike Mele (Mouthing Off...
-
WWE
/ 3 months agoThe Rock vs. Roman Reigns: Dream Match to Reality
On this Friday’s SmackDown, the Royal Rumble winner Cody Rhodes arrived to make his...
NFL/Carolina Panthers
-
NFL
/ 5 hours agoTrevin Wallace should get development year before inheriting big role with Carolina Panthers
Published by On3 Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper and Michigan’s Junior Colson were the first...
-
NFL
/ 5 hours agoCarolina Panthers select Trevin Wallace in third round of 2024 NFL Draft
Published by On3 Kentucky linebacker Trevin Wallace has found his NFL home. He was...
-
NFL
/ 5 hours agoCarolina Panthers Bolster Offense with Xavier Legette and Jonathan Brooks in 2024 NFL Draft
In a strategic move aimed at fortifying their offensive arsenal, the Carolina Panthers made...
-
NFL
/ 5 hours agoPanthers share why they drafted South Carolina WR Xavier Legette
Published by On3 South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette predicted before the NFL Draft...