With the 15th pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the New England Patriots select Mac Jones, quarterback, Alabama.
Analysis: There is room in the game for a quarterback that you can “win with,” and that might be Jones. He might not have the ceiling the quarterbacks above him offer, but he might have one of the best floors. Jones could be a very good NFL quarterback that helps deliver a team to the playoffs. In a league filled with risk-averse decision makers, a QB with Jones’ floor might seem like a nice warm comfortable blanket of a pick. You’re just going to have to be okay with his lack of mobility and second-reaction ability, and you’ll have to have faith that he can do in the NFL what he did at Alabama without DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle demolishing every cornerback they faced.
Grade: C. I like Jones’ fit with the Patriots better than most, because Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels know how to make the most of a quick-processing pocket quarterback. The problem is, Jones is going to have to be the second coming of Tom Brady to make this work with his lack of mobility and second-reaction ability. Jones is the Patriots’ first first-round quarterback since Drew Bledsoe in 1993, and I can see this working, but I can also see Jones falling short of expectations for multiple reasons.
