Drafting a quarterback is probably the most nerve racking thing your team can do in the NFL. It is undoubtedly the most important position in the sport. You take the wrong guy, there is no undoing it, and you have set your franchise back for at least half a decade. We see one team suffer from this almost every few years, where a team passes on other elite prospects and takes the wrong guy. The Bears are the most recent example, drafting Trubisky over Mahomes and Watson, something that as a Bears fan will make me angry every single game Mahomes plays until he retires. This draft class is another QB heavy class, with five quarterbacks virtually guaranteed to be selected in the first round. The odds are obviously stacked against all five quarterbacks being all pro players, that never happens. So it is up to teams to draft the right guy and develop him properly.
Mac Jones is the one quarterback I think will for sure be a bust. He has the lowest ceiling of the top group, and was surrounded by top weapons that made him look better than he was. I truly do not think he would even be in the running to be selected this high if he did not play for the University of Alabama. This is obviously nothing personal against the guy, and if Mac Jones proves me wrong I will gladly eat my words and give him credit where he is due. But here are a few reasons why I don’t see him being more than a game manager in this league.
Arm Strength
One of the biggest red flags in Mac Jones game compared to the other elite QB prospects is his arm strength. He has the weakest arm strength in the class compared to Fields, Lance, Lawrence and Wilson. His pro day highlights showed him struggling to throw the deep ball, and really showcased how much lower his ceiling is compared to the rest of the class. He does have an elite ability to read defenses well, limiting the mistakes he will make, but his lack of ability to throw the ball downfield will prevent him from being more than an average quarterback in the NFL. To change a franchise, you can’t get by just doing the bare minimum of completing passes.
Mobility
Another major red flag in Jones’ game is his mobility. Mac Jones runs like a 50 year old man out on the field at times, and has shown very little ability to extend plays with his legs. While it is not necessary to be as mobile as Lamar Jackson, you have to be able to run enough where you can create a first down if receivers are covered in today’s game. If he does not have an elite offensive line that gives him time to stay in the pocket, he will not have any success moving the offense.
Surrounded by the best weapons in college
His high accuracy and completion percentage are impressive, but keep in mind who was on his team. He had a supporting cast of Heisman winner Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Najee Harris, who are all considered first round talents. Devonta Smith only dropped 2.5% of passes and Jaylen Waddle only dropped one pass on 29 targets, so their hands and athleticism definitely made Mac Jones’ job much easier.
These three reasons are the main concerns I have about Mac Jones and why I think he will struggle as a pro. What do you think about Mac Jones? Do you think he’ll prove me wrong?