It has been a long and winding road for former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones. In a short three year window, Jones has gone from running the scout team to winning a National Title for the Crimson Tide to being a possible Top 5 NFL Draft pick. Keep reading for a closer look at Mac Jones as well as three reasons why he has a great chance to succeed in the NFL.
- Patience and Persistence
In an era where collegiate athletes have zero patience and want to start right away, Jones proved that he had plenty of moxy by waiting three years to become the starter at Alabama. This is refreshing to see especially when it seems that another highly touted QB is always entering the ‘transfer portal’ due to lack of playing time. Perhaps it helps that Jones was only a 3-star recruit when he finished high school in Jacksonville Florida.
It takes lots of patience and a dogged determination to succeed at the NFL level. Jones has plenty of both of these mental attributes and that will enable him to be successful for any team that drafts him. The 2020 Consensus All-American will have no problem simply watching and learning for a full year behind a veteran NFL QB if that is what is in store for him.
- Mental Toughness and Intelligence
So much of what makes a great NFL quarterback is what goes on between the ears. To say that Jones has plenty of intelligence would be an understatement. Heck, the kid graduated with his bachelor’s degree in only three years (247sports.com).
This high level of intelligence will allow Jones to quickly learn any NFL playbook out there. How many times have we seen quarterbacks that have plenty of talent but simply cannot grasp the complexity of the NFL? That will certainly not be an issue for Jones as he has the innate ability to read defenses and make lightning quick decisions.
Also, let’s not forget how much mental toughness Jones possesses. Many young prospects would not have selected a school that already had Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa on the roster. Competition fuels Jones to perform at an even higher level.
- Passing Accuracy
No one would have guessed that Jones would have better arm accuracy than Tua. However, when scouts look at the tape of Jones and his dazzling statistics that is exactly what they see. In fact, many NFL scouts believe that Jones is the most accurate passer in this year’s draft as well as the best pocket passing QB available (RotoBaller).
The amazing thing about Jones is that his deep ball throws seem almost as accurate as his short screen type passes. The 6-3 214 pounder knows exactly how much touch to put on each pass and that is something all wide receivers appreciate. Also, Jones is not your typical big-armed gunslinger because he will not get a team beat by throwing lots of interceptions. In fact, Jones only threw 7 picks his entire college career but he threw 56 touchdown passes (sports-reference.com).
Who will draft Mac Jones?
Our money is on the 49ers drafting Jones with the #3 overall pick. Jones should be an excellent fit for San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system. Why else would the Niners have traded up to get the third pick?