Mac Jones to the New Orleans Saints was a common prediction ahead of the recent NFL draft, and it sounds like the coach would've been on board.
Sean Payton was asked what he's seen from the New England Patriots rookie over his first two starts. The praise was clear.
"I think positive, really positive," Payton said. "He was someone we were really high on in the draft."
If the Saints had truly been interested in taking Jones, they'd have had to part with assets to do it. The Patriots nabbed their QB at pick No. 15, making him the 5th quarterback off the board through the first half of the draft. The Saints were said to be looking to trade up in the draft, but with an eye on a top-flight cornerback.
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The Saints did draft a passer, Notre Dame's Ian Book, in the 4th round. But when it came to naming Drew Brees' successor, that was always coming down to a an offseason battle between Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston. The latter earned the job out of camp and has started the first two games, with Hill taking a handful of snaps at QB in his traditional role.
That new era got off to a flying start with Winston's 5-touchdown day in a win over the Bucs, but crashed to earth with a 111-yard passing performance in a loss to the Panthers marred by protection issues and a pair of interceptions.
What might that have looked like if it was Jones headed to New Orleans on draft day? Payton gave some clues in his analysis, much of which sounds like it was copied and pasted from the Brees page with Purdue swapped with Alabama.
"Here's the thing, he processes information fast. You saw it at Alabama, if you watch closely, his tape. So the ball comes out, his decisions are made fast. I think he see the field horizontally, as well as vertically, well. And, you know, he's got the arm to make the throws that you want," Payton said. "But his decision-making and processing are what I felt were really strong suits with him. And I think, look, he's handling it well. It's not easy to come in and all of a sudden start Week 1 as a rookie, but he's a smart player."
The comments bring back shades of a similar draft-day scenario, with the Saints high on a passer they were inevitably unable to pick. That was Patrick Mahomes, whom the Kansas City Chiefs traded up to select a pick ahead of the Saints. New Orleans landed star cornerback Marshon Lattimore at No. 11.
Jones has looked solid while leading to a 1-1 start, with a win over the New York Jets last week. He's completed nearly 74% of his passes for 467 yards, 1 TD and no interceptions. Jones was part of a competition of his own in training camp, eventually beating out last year's starter in Cam Newton. The former Panthers quarterback was cut and is yet to sign with another team.
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It'll be the latest rookie QB to match up with the Saints, some of which have already included Trevor Lawrence in the preseason. The Saints also saw rookie Justin Herbert last season, and Kyler Murray the previous year.
"He's handling it well," Payton said. "It's not easy to come in and all of a sudden start Week 1 as a rookie, but he's a smart player."