Former Duke Star Daniel Jones Moves Up in New QB Rankings

The Duke Blue Devils have sent some talented players to the NFL over the years, with the football program growing.

Duke has started to build up the program, with the league taking notice of the talent that they have. The Blue Devils' rise has been fun to watch, and it has started with the program developing players in a stronger manner.

One of the better players to come from Duke in the last decade has been quarterback Daniel Jones, who was a first-round pick by the New York Giants in 2019. New York selected Jones with the No. 6 overall pick in 2019, making him their franchise quarterback.

While Jones' time in New York didn't go too well, he did lead the team to a playoff appearance. Jones left the Giants to spend a year with the Minnesota Vikings, but he has been with the Indianapolis Colts over the last two years.

The former Duke quarterback caught fire last season with the Colts, leading the team to be one of the better groups in the AFC. This was before he went down with a torn Achilles late in the season, with Indianapolis faltering once he left.

Jones was expected to pick up where he left off this season, but 2026 hasn't gone to plan for him. The Colts are currently 2-7 for the year, with Jones struggling to replicate the success from last season.

Overall, Jones has thrown for 1,722 yards with six touchdowns and 10 interceptions on the year for Indianapolis. But this past week, Jones started to look a little better, even with the team losing to the Dallas Cowboys.

In a new quarterback rankings from NFL analyst Henry McKenna of Fox Sports, Jones moved up two spots from No. 30 to No. 28. Despite the struggles that he has seen this year, Jones did play much better this past week against the Cowboys.

There has been trade chatter around Jones ahead of the NFL Trade Deadline, but it remains to be seen if he will be moved. But his performance against Dallas could help interested teams.

If Jones is moved, the Duke faithful will watch closely to see where he lands, with the Blue Devils still wanting him to find success. While his time in the NFL hasn't gone to plan, Jones remains one of the higher draft picks from the Duke football program.