His floor is 19 IMO. There just isn’t anything other than unproven, so potentially valid, skepticism that says he shouldn’t be a 1st rounder
With the new CBA, they’ve changed the 5th year option so that it basically costs as much as the franchise tag now, depending on how they play.
Thought he made a bunch of NFL level throws in the video posted.
I love how everybody else on Alabama is amazing, but Jones is an unproven backup journeyman at best with a low ceiling.
Lol
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Jones has all the time in the world to throw and a field full of open receivers to choose between. This has always been the problem with QBs on stacked rosters. Everyone points out how Ohio State QBs always failed, but it has much more to do with the talent around them than the logo on their helmet. The same is true of Alabama QBs. Has there been a good one since Namath/Stabler? Tua looked as good as Jones last night in pretty much every healthy game he played.
So Alabama is the only good college team to have a couple of winning college QBs not star in the NFL? Okay, I’ll make a note of that.
Not sure your theory precludes Jones from being a good football player.
Hence why this was said:
It just makes for a harder projection. There have been plenty of good Ohio State runningbacks, but also some duds. What makes it tough to evaluate them sometimes is the gaping holes they get to run thru during “normal” games when they have an overpowering team vs the competition. Its hard to project what the kid can do on dirty runs that are required to be successful in the NFL. It doesn’t mean they can’t do it, its just harder to look at the stat sheet and highlight reel and say “oh yeah this guy is the next big thing!”
That’s a fair assessment … and applies to a lot of Alabama, OSU, Clemson players.
A lot of them are going to be very good.
Belichik will draft him in the 1st an restart the Pats dynasty.
I also see him as a 3rd round QB, I think he’ll go in the 2nd, but I wouldn’t make that pick.
I think when you get into the big programs, you have a subtle problem. Are the players great on their own, or as a result of great talent around them.
I use what I call the “Rutgers Test”. You take a good look at a kids tape and then watch a perennial doormat team that runs similar plays. You superimpose that player from the great team onto the doormat in your mind. Ask yourself if they still stand out. As he drops back to make throw, is he going to adjust and get the ball out, or is he going to be on his back admiring the sky.
Is that all conference DE going to be able to get to the QB with that spin move, when he’s getting double teamed?
It’s hard, it’s difficult. Which of these kids are the real deal, and which are good players on a team filled with great overall talent? Which of these kids would get swallowed up and spit out if not surrounded by superior talent? Hard questions.
That’s where your best scouts really earn their money.
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Ex-Detroit Lions assistant gets why 49ers like Mac Jones: ‘He’s sharp’
Thanks for reviving this thread. It’s fascinating how narratives and projections can change so much over 3 months. For the record, I don’t believe the Niners are taking him at #3.
For the record, I believe in 5 years, when we look back at top QB’s of the 21 draft, Mac Jones will be the leader of the class.
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Whatever money you are thinking about betting on that, please donate it to charity instead. 
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I agree! Yes he had talent but he had to execute and he did. I love his game
He might be 1st… to lose his starting job???
If Mac goes to 49ers… he will have a QB friendly place to start with that run game and Shanahan scheming the route combos off play action… so I can see him being successful there.
On the other hand… if he ends up somewhere without a really strong running game… I see a rough time for him.
The vegas betting odds have Mac as the favorite to go 3rd to the 49ers.
So Todd McShay has been talking about his conversation with Alabama’s OC about Mac Jones. Basically he said that for the first 4 games of the season they were just having Mac “stay in his lane” and they kept things pretty basic and were relying on the playmakers to make plays. Then as they started to feed him more, he picked up on it quickly and was ready for the next thing. By the end of the season they had alot more on his plate. The OC said “I installed more offense with that kid than any other college QB I’ve ever worked with.” To me that could be true, or it could be pre-draft fluff like we see all of the time.
In my film study I mentioned that Mac seemed to be going where the play was designed, and if that play wasn’t open you could tell he was coached to just move on to the next play. But I had that nagging feeling that he was capable of more. Now that the OC has weighed in, that appears to be the case. So you have to view Jones film thru different lenses depending on what part of the year you are watching. It also puts the Georgia film into perspective. That would have been the first game that his receivers couldn’t just go out there and “out athlete” the opposing team. So he had some struggles early, particularly on plays that “didn’t work,” which is something normal QBs face on a regular basis. But it wasn’t necessarily Jones fault, because at that point in the season they hadn’t given him the answers to the test yet and hadn’t transitioned to the point of allowing him to think too far beyond the initial play design.
Just saw where Jones completed 21-22 passes against the Giants starting defense in 11 on 11’s, and 48-55 overall. Has looked incredible in pre-season.
He had a lot of haters here saying he was just along for the ride at Alabama, and couldn’t be evaluated. Eye roll.
Seems to be doing well for himself.
I always liked him. He’s very, very accurate and very cerebral and those traits can carry you.
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