2021 NFL Draft Profile: Alabama QB Mac Jones
The 2021 NFL Draft is creeping up on us all. All of the talk has been around Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields. One quarterback that is buying his time and putting together a great 2020 College Football Season is Alabama's Mac Jones.
Lets take a deeper look at why Mac Jones has a good opportunity to be a sleeper pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Mac Jones' 2020 College Football Season
Alabama quarterback Mac Jones has spent the last two years of his College Football career sitting behind Tua Tagovailoa. When Tua went down with an injury, Mac Jones answered the call to be the starting quarterback for the Crimson Tide. Jones would complete 68.8% of his passes for 1,503 passing yards with 14 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.
Heading into the 2020 College Football Season, many questions swarmed the Alabama quarterback. A lot of the Alabama fans questioned if Mac Jones was the right man for the job. They wanted to know if he could fill Tua's footsteps.
Mac Jones has put together a phenomenal 2020 College Football Season. Jones has completed 76.4% of his passes this season. He has also thrown 27 touchdowns and has only thrown 3 interceptions. Mac Jones has led Alabama to the SEC Championship game. He also has them sitting in the No. 1 spot in the College Football Playoff rankings.
The 2020 College Football Season has been filled with ups and downs. The Alabama Crimson Tide always have one of the top recruiting classes. Often their quarterbacks get lost in the mix when it comes to awards. Majority of the credit to their success goes to the talent around them. Mac Jones is starting to turn the success to himself and not the players around him.
Lets take a closer look at the Pros and Cons of Alabama quarterback Mac Jones heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.
2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Alabama QB Mac Jones
PROS: Mac Jones has great balance when he throws the football. He also has been very consistent on a lot of his throws. Jones uses his great throwing mechanics to successfully complete his passes. Mac Jones has a great football IQ and works through all his options before dumping the football off to his last option.
Mac Jones' patience in the pocket helps him make great decisions while throwing the football. His pocket presence is great for the NFL because he rarely throws the football into risky situations. His build is a great fit for the NFL to sustain hits from the NFL pass rushers.
CONS: The biggest knock on Alabama quarterback Mac Jones is that he is not very mobile. The direction that the NFL is heading it could be tough for Mac Jones to be successful. His deep throw accuracy could use some work, he tends to sail the ball on deep throws. If we look at his short to mid range passing numbers there is a big difference between those passes and the deep balls that he throws. Many NFL scouts fear that they would have to place the perfect situation around Mac Jones for him to be successful.
2021 NFL Draft Prediction for Mac Jones
The 2021 NFL Draft will see a lot of quarterbacks going in the first round. Mac Jones has that opportunity with a great showing in the rest of the 2020 College Football Season. If Jones can lead Alabama to a National Championship it would improve his Draft stock tremendously.
Mac Jones has the opportunity to prove himself in the next two games. The SEC Championship against the Florida Gators and the Semifinal College Football Playoff game. He could potentially be playing against two quarterbacks who are ranked ahead of him in Kyle Trask and Justin Fields.
The best fit for Mac Jones would be with a team that can give him time to develop and get adapted to the speed of the NFL. Jones would be a great late first round selection. Mac Jones would be a great fit for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Indianapolis Colts.
Both teams have veteran quarterbacks for Mac Jones to learn from. Tom Brady and Phillip Rivers are both not very mobile and play great inside the pocket. Jones could learn a lot from both and would be set up with great offensive power for him to be successful.