Alabama Game Week Scouting Report: Florida Quarterback Emory Jones

BamaCentral and NFL Draft Bible team up to profile key players Alabama will face this season, who have a chance to be selected in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Regardless of what you're hearing about the quarterback controversy at Florida, there are two things that are already obvious two games into the 2021 season.

1) Dan Mullen is going to play both Emory Jones and Anthony Richardson when he can, and ...

2) They're both tough to stop. 

"We're pretty lucky,'' Mullen said. 

"My job is to put us in the best position to win football games and develop this football program to be the best it can be. That's what we're doing."

To give an idea of how dynamic they can be, Florida tallied 666 yards of total offense against South Florida last week, the fifth-highest total in program history. However, after leading the nation by passing for 378 yards per game last season, and for 408 against Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, the Gators top the nation in rushing rushing yards (763) and rushing yards per game (381.5).

The problem is, Jones has been eclipsed by Richardson in relief. Against the Bulls he only completed three passes, but tallied 115 yards rushing and 152 yards passing to become the first FBS player in the last 25 seasons to rush for 100-plus yards, pass for 150-plus yards and complete every pass he threw in a game.

Those footsteps Jones may be hearing on Saturday may not just be from the Crimson Tide defense. 

Emory Jones 

Jersey: No. 5
Pos: Quarterback
Ht: 6-2
Wt: 210
DOB: 4/29/00
Draft Eligible: 2022
Hometown: LaGrange, Georgia
High School: Heard County

Background

From Franklin, Georgia and graduated in 2018 from Heard County High School. Participated in the 2017 Elite 11 Finals all-star camp and the Under Armour All-American game in 2018. Was a consensus four-star recruit and the fifth-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the nation. Chose Florida over Alabama, Florida State, and Ohio State.Boom or bust quarterback that can win with his legs but still needs to develop immensely as a passer in his fourth college year.

Pros

Special, special, special athlete, this Gators quarterback has big-play physical traits. Emory has mostly a backup and run-package player in this offense behind guys like Feleipe Franks and Kyle Trask. This fall is Emory’s time to take over the reins. In his limited time, Jones has shown that he can win at the college level solely based on his running ability. As a runner, Jones doesn’t shy away from contact and has the power to run through would-be tacklers. In the open field, he can make defenders miss or just flat-out burn them. His athletic ability adds a whole new element to any offense he’s in. If defenses don’t account for him on dropbacks he will take off and pick up easy yards. As a passer, his arm talent is undeniable, easy velocity on passes. Is able to make passes outside the numbers on a line. Rarely showed off the deep ball, but has special throws on tape dropping it in a bucket. Capable of making tight-window throws sticking it right on his receivers.

Cons

Now as the flashes have been fun, that’s all they have been. Lack of experience is an understatement for Jones with only having 87 pass attempts in three years at Florida. This fall will be his first year starting in college. Consistency will be key for Jones this year, need to see him run the offense and get the ball out accurately. The ball placement has had its ups and downs, missing easy throws. Balls are behind receivers at times, and will need to throw with more anticipation. As a decision-maker, he hasn’t had the reps to show he can read defenses and look off safeties. This will be another part of his 2021 season that scouts will be looking for. In his limited time, Emory has been a one-read and take-off guy. If the first option isn’t there he bails and picks up yards on the ground. This will work in college, but will need to make progressions in NFL offenses. Cleaning up his footwork and showing he can move within a pocket to deliver throws needs to be shown this season.

Summary

Right now, Emory isn’t an NFL quarterback. Yet, the physical tools are unreal and teams will love to add that type of athlete to their team. Luckily, Jones has a full season as the starter to show his ability to win as a quarterback. Florida is an explosive offense that could strike like lightning with Emory behind center. Emory could make this quarterback class very interesting with a big year.

Grades

6.2 (current value)/ 8.1 (potential value)

BamaCentral Analysis 

Alabama may hitting Florida at the right time. The Gators do indeed have two quarterbacks with the potential to be top-notch, but fans are loudly calling for Richardson and the freshman tweaked a hamstring last week. That will only put more  pressure on Jones, who hasn't been as a good and may not have his safety net this week. For the season, Jones is 31-for-49 for 264 yards, two touchdowns and four interceptions. His passer rating is 105.67. He's dynamic, and is second in team rushing (Richardson is first), averaging 6.7 yards per carry. It'll be interesting to see how the team and fans react if the Gators struggle against the Alabama defense.

BamaCentral will profile a different Florida player each day this week as Alabama heads to the Swamp to face the Gators in a rematch of the 2020 SEC Championship Game. Also check out NFL Draft Bible.