Daniel Jones is being paid like an elite quarterback, and former NBC commentator and ex-NFL receiver Cris Collinsworth is all in on the Giants quarterback taking a massive step forward in 2023.
“I would say that [Jones] is, and boy, people are going to scream when they hear this, but he plays the game a little like Patrick Mahomes,” Colinsworth said on “The Herd” on Tuesday.
“When you watch him play, it’s not the first read that he typically beats you on. He is somebody who wants to pull the ball down if it’s not there immediately.”
The Giants signed Jones an aggressive contract, paying him as a top-10 quarterback in the NFL.
And it would seem Collinsworth believes he will outperform that deal.
“He wants to create some space. He’s pretty good at maneuvering up and through the hole,” Collinsworth said of Jones facing pressure.
“He only runs a 4.8. I actually went back yesterday when I was watching the tape. Is he fast? How is he getting away from these defensive linemen and EDGE players? He’s a 4.8 kind of guy.
“Patrick Mahomes is about the same thing, and Joe Burrow is probably about the same thing.”
Jones may have run a 4.8 40-yard-dash in the lead-up to the 2019 NFL Draft, but he topped out at 21.23 MPH during an 80-yard sprint against the Eagles in 2021, one of the fastest in NFL history according to Next Gen Stats.
Of course, that run goes down in infamy, as he tripped on his own feet during an 80-yard scramble in a primetime showing against the Eagles.
Collinsworth says that Jones’ true developing skill is his ability to evade pressure within the pocket.
“Even Tom Brady, who wasn’t a fast guy, knows how to manipulate inside the pocket. Aaron Rodgers does a great of it. In creating that extra second, two, sometimes three seconds to give his receivers a chance to get open.”
The hope for Jones to take that leap forward into the upper-echelon quarterbacks is also going to come down to his weapons around him.
Namely, new tight end Darren Waller alongside receivers Jalin Hyatt and Parris Campbell, among others.
“The one thing I love about this team is if Darren Waller can stay healthy… If he can stay healthy this year, you can do some things with him that you can’t do with other tight ends.”
Waller could be a matchup nightmare for teams, especially against opposing cornerbacks.