2021 NFL Draft Profile: Alabama QB Mac Jones
Mac Jones isn't the top QB on draft boards for the 2021 NFL Draft, but he has a trait that old-school draft evaluators value more than anything else: he wins.
Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and maybe as many as three other QBs could be taken before Jones in the 2021 Draft, but if Jones decides to declare, he would be on the draft board of team's who miss out on the first tier.
Mac Jones notes:
Jones was born on September 5, 1998 in Jacksonville, Florida. He is 22 years old, and will be 23 for the 2021-2022 NFL season.
Michael McCorkie "Mac" Jones is listed at 6 ft 3 in, 214 pounds. He was a nominee for the 2020 Heisman Award (an award his teammate Devonta Smith ended up winning). He won the 2020 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award for college football's top upper classmen QB, was a member of the First Team All-SEC, and was a Consensus All-American.
Mac Jones stats:
Jones doesn't have the the gigantic passing and rushing numbers of the other top college QBs in 2020, but he makes up for it with elite efficiency. In 2020, Jones completed 77% of his passes for 4,036 yards and threw for 36 touchdowns compared to just four interceptions. Jones broke 300 passing yards and a RTG over 200 in three of his last five games (prior to the National Championship) in 2020.
For his career, Jones had a 73.8% completion percentage, 5,662 total passing yards, only 14 sacks against, and a touchdown to interception ratio of 51:7. Jones rushed for just 31 yards in his Alabama career.
NFL Draft fits:
Jones hasn't even officially declared for the NFL draft (but it is likely he decides to make the next step after the college National Championship game). If/when Jones declares, he will be a target for all QB-needy teams who miss out on the top QB tier in the 2021 draft. Teams without a top 10 selection who could use a pass thrower are the Pittsburgh Steelers, Indianapolis Colts, New England Patriots, and others.
Also check out: Complete 2018 NFL Draft Results
Mock Draft Predictions:
According to most recent mocks, Jones will be a mid to late first round pick, and could slide into the early second round. InĀ Sportskeeda's own mock, Jones was selected 17th overall by the Las Vegas Raiders.
NBC has Jones going 15th overall to the Patriots, and CBSSports has Jones falling to the Washington Football Team at 19.