Coming out of Alabama Mac Jones was said to have a low ceiling, but an already NFL ready ability. After rumors swirled about the 49ers trading up to three for Jones, they eventually elected to draft QB Trey Lance. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson went to the Jaguars and Jets before that, and the Bears took Justin Fields at eight. Mac Jones fell in the Patriots lap at 15, and he’s shown the truth about his NFL readiness.
Through eight games this season, Mac Jones is a leader in almost every category amongst his positional peers in the draft.According to Statmuse, Jones leads rookie QBs in attempts, completions, completion percentage and total yards thrown. While there is credit due to the system and team he was drafted to, Jones has shown great poise and ability early in his career.
The knock on Jones before and after the draft was his ability to create as an athlete and make those special plays. While Jones is not the most athletic quarterback in the league, he’s run a couple times this year and wasn’t exactly a snail. His poise and footwork in the pocket is good, and will probably improve with a consistent offensive line in front of him. Jones is for sure a pocket quarterback, but can scramble for a few yards if needed.
Arm talent and skill level was also a knock on him early, citing that he was a solid player but lacked the ability to make special plays with his arm. His accuracy in college was recognized, but often was thought to be assisted by the elite receivers Alabama had while he played. Jones averages the longest yards per attempt among rookies, while also having the highest completion percentage. A lot feel as though Zach Wilson and Trevor Lawrence have that special arm talent ability, Jones has proved his accuracy and game awareness are solid enough to make an impact on the game.
Now I’m not saying Jones should have been the number one pick, there were better prospects at the top of the draft for sure. He has been the best rookie QB this year though. Multiple games with late game drives to give his team a chance, competitive showings against good teams in marquee games have shown his poise as a young player. Yes, the Patriots have probably a better roster than any team that drafted a rookie QB, but they’ve dealt with injuries at running back and offense line in a huge way this year. Jones has done a good job of staying consistent and handling a ton of pressure early in the year as his line struggled to get off to a good start.
It’s not the most entertaining brand of football that Jones plays, but it’s effective. Good decision making while going through his progressions shows his maturity and IQ of the game, which can play a role in success just as much as skill does at that position. You probably won’t see him on too many highlight reels, but he has helped this Patriots team win as much as any player has on the team this year. Impressive first half (or so) of his debut season with the Patriots.
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