2021 NFL Draft Quarterback Rankings Top Five
5. Mac Jones, Alabama
Size: 6-3, 217
The Good: All he did was put up the most efficient passing season in the history of college football. There wasn’t any fluff – it was all SEC teams, Notre Dame, and Ohio State he went against throwing 41 touchdown passes with just four picks.
Of course he had superstar playmakers around him, but he also was cool, calm, played within the offense, and he didn’t have any drama in his game. He didn’t force things that weren’t there, he showed off a good enough arm to make all the throws, and he rarely took major chances – a must as the Bama QB.
It’ll be seen as a negative that he got ten days to work behind the Bama line, but for the next level, that was on-the-job training at going through his progressions and making the reads. But …
The Not-So-Good: He’s not going to wow anyone or do much of anything with his legs. He can move a wee bit, but he’s not going to buy himself a ton of time at the next level and he’s going to need to speed up his delivery.
The arm is fine. You don’t bomb away like he and the Tide offense did without being able to push the ball deep, but he’s not going to wow with his arm like some of the other top prospects, and he doesn’t have any of the special NFL traits that the other four guys in the top five do.
Todd McShay just released his latest mock draft where he has Mac Jones going No. 3 overall to the 49ers.@Foxworth24 needs to chill 😭 pic.twitter.com/i46ii3isPN
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) April 1, 2021
NFL Draft College Perspective Thought: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you could’ve quarterbacked that 2020 Alabama team to the national title, but he was more than just a caretaker for an O full of all-timers.
He’ll be a very good pro, and he’ll likely catch a break by not being one of the top two picks – or maybe even the third to San Francisco. However, he’s not the shot for the stars that Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Zach Wilson are. Those three have special pro-level tools that Jones doesn’t have, but that’s reading too much into it.
Lower ceiling, higher floor isn’t a bad thing in a top ten overall quarterback pick.
Projected Round: Top Ten Overall