Insight Bowl: Poor Performance for Oklahoma Would Kill Landry Jones' Draft Stock

Landry Jones has one final test before he declares for the NFL, and fans can watch live in tonight’s coverage of the Insight Bowl against Iowa this evening.

Oklahoma, which started off the season as the highest-ranked team in the country, has plummeted in BCS rankings after a poor second half of the season. Narrowly missing out on a BCS bowl and winding up in a pre-New Year's bowl game has cost Jones a chance at the limelight, but even more, NFL teams may grow skeptical about his actual talent.

If Jones is unable to pull off a decisive victory in the Insight Bowl, you can just about kiss a spot in the first half of the first round goodbye for Jones.

Jones said that he “single-handedly” takes the blame for the Oklahoma State loss following four turnovers at his own behalf. Perhaps more concerning, however, was his inability to convert a touchdown.

For Jones, that would be the third straight game that he was unable to reach the end zone. His poor play was directly correlated to the poor play of the Oklahoma Sooners at the end of the season.

Whether his failures were due to his lack of consistency or perhaps a secretive nagging injury, NFL teams may now have a red flag on Jones. The smart teams will be watching this evening to see if he is able to rebound for a bowl victory.

For Oklahoma, which finished the season at 9-3, it may not be as easy as it looks. The seniors on the Iowa squad have yet to lose a bowl game and come in with the confidence of winning last year’s Insight Bowl.

Jones’s 14 interceptions were tied for the highest in the Big 12. Once receiver Ryan Broyles suffered a torn ACL and missed the final three games of the season, Jones was unable to throw a touchdown, threw five interceptions and led the team to a 1-2 record to close out the season.

In last year’s Insight Bowl, Iowa’s Marcus Coker ran for 219 yards and two touchdowns as his team went on to win.

If Iowa can pick up where it left off last year, it will be difficult for Oklahoma to make a statement. A statement, however, is exactly what Landry Jones needs in order to reconcile the final few games of his season.

The Sooners come into this game as 14-point favorites, a big number for a team that disappointed many at the end of the season.

If the Sooners are unable to pull off the victory and are upset by Iowa this evening, Jones would take the extreme blame for the disappointment. In a draft that will feature Robert Griffin III and Andrew Luck, teams that are looking to draft a quarterback would in turn likely either trade up or wait it out for Matt Barkley next season.

There are too many eligible QBs in the college football for Landry Jones to deliver a stink bomb in the Insight Bowl, and Jones' draft stock has already fallen too low for him to continue to do any more damage. 

Teams that may be looking to draft Jones as their new quarterback will be watching closely to see Jones' production in this bowl game.