The New England Patriots have the highest-performing rookie quarterback in the NFL with Mac Jones. It’s really not even close.
A statistical chart from The Athletic’s Ben Baldwin showed Jones’ CPOE (completion % over expectations) and EPA per play (on passes, rushes and penalties) exceed that of his peers. Jones is well above the other rookie quarterbacks in CPOE — and that makes sense, because the quarterback has been extremely conservative and extremely accurate in a Patriots’ system that allows him to dink and dunk his way to victory. But it’s also impressive to see Jones scoring higher than the other rookie quarterbacks in EPA (expected points added) per play, a sign that even though he’s making conservative decisions, he’s also help maximize the offensive output.
This week's rookie update
Everyone is firmly out of the danger zone of the lower left pic.twitter.com/admSjyxqVO
— Computer Cowboy (@benbbaldwin) November 9, 2021
Trey Lance has barely seen the field, Trevor Lawrence has barely seen help from a teammate, Justin Fields has barely seen a competent coaching decision and Zach Wilson is a mess. That just leaves Davis Mills, who has clearly outplayed his draft position — and his supporting cast. That said, Mills’ physical talents pale in comparison to the other 2021 rookie quarterbacks on this chart.
