Over the month of April WEEI.com will offer up a total of 28 prospects who could be potential Patriots selections in the 2021 NFL Draft. While the top five projected overall prospects – QB Trevor Lawrence, QB Zach Wilson, WR Ja’Marr Chase, TE Kyle Pitts and OT Penei Sewell – won’t be included, all other players at all positions will be considered potential targets for Bill Belichick and his staff. Today we look at a quarterback with maybe the most debated draft stock in the class.
Mac Jones
QB Alabama
6-3, 217
Resume: Jones grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., where he became the starting quarterback at The Bolles School as a sophomore. … Comes from a family of college athletes, including his father, a nationally ranked tennis player who won the 1977 NAIA singles championship for Flagler College. … Jones earned All-State honors and led his team to the state championship game as a senior, when he threw for 29 touchdowns. … Originally committed to Kentucky early on in high school, but later flipped to Alabama. … Backed up Tua Tagovailoa for the Tide, before stepping in when the current Dolphins starter went down with an injury in 2019. … Jones won the Alabama starting job in 2020 and went on to have an historic season in which he became the first player in school history to throw for 4,500 yards while leading the Tide to a National Championship. … Was a team captain. … Earned consensus All-American honors, All-SEC recognition and won the Davey O’Brien Award as the best quarterback in the country thanks to an NCAA-record 77.4 completion percentage while throwing 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions. … Decided to forego his final season to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. … Had an impressive week of work at the Senior Bowl where he took the top QB award for the American Team even though he didn’t actually play in the game due to an ankle injury.
Pre-Draft Buzz: Jones’ stock, or at least the public perception of his value, his risen greatly this spring. Once thought of as a late first-round talent, he then garnered buzz as the possible No. 3 pick to the 49ers after San Francisco traded up to that spot well before draft night. … Both Belichick and Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels were in attendance for Jones’ Alabama pro day, where he ran a 4.82 40. … The Athletic slotted Jones as the No. 22 prospect on its consensus big board. … NFL.com’s player profile interestingly compares the Alabama star to another Jones who rose up draft boards, Giants former No. 6 overall pick Daniel Jones. The site has less-than-glowing assessments of the latest Jones QB’s stock, writing “[w]hile the production looks great, he has clearly benefited from a wealth of riches up front, in the backfield and at wide receiver. He has a tendency to play with some panic when pressure gets after him and could struggle when things aren't optimal around him. Jones has good backup to low-end starter potential.” … The Ringer compares Jones to Falcons former MVP Matt Ryan, saying he has “accuracy and touch but lacks top-tier physical traits.” … NFL.com’s latest mock draft indeed slots Jones to the 49ers at the No. 3 overall pick, writing “pro scouts like him a lot -- even if the pundits do not.” … The Athletic’s NFL Draft Guide lists Jones as the No. 25 overall prospect, summarizing that “Jones doesn’t have elite level mobility or arm strength, but he is good-enough in those areas and he is poised, hyper competitive and doesn’t make mistakes. He projects as a high-floor NFL starter.”
Why Jones fits the Patriots’ needs: The Patriots need a quarterback of the future and maybe even the present. Jones is an accurate, heady passer with elite pocket presence coming out of Saban’s talented Alabama program. While Jones may not have the athleticism of the hottest modern QB talents, he brings traditional stability and work ethic to the position. Whether they are warranted or not, the comparisons to Brady probably make Jones the best potential fit for the scheme that New England has run for decades. Jones is also probably the most pro-ready passer of the quarterback prospects not named Trevor Lawrence. Patriot Nation is lusting after a young quarterback to believe in and put their passion behind. Jones may not have the same hype as other draft options, but he just might be a better fit for what Belichick is looking for at the most important position in football.