Breaking down all the NFL draft action pick by pick, right here and in the comment section (via a browser):
PATRIOTS PICKS
[table id=448 /]
LIVE COVERAGE
1. Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB.
Shocking! Took 26 minutes after 8 to make the pick.
2. Jets: Zach Wilson, QB
He'll be measured against Sam Darnold, but I can tell you the Panthers are not wedded to Darnold. They could very well go QB in this draft. They love Justin Fields.
3. 49ers: Trey Lance, QB.
The first mild surprise of the draft happens as the 49ers go with FCS quarterback who will likely need time to develop, so no need to deal Jimmy Garoppolo in theory. San Francisco could still go with another bridge, but this is not good for the Jimmy G to New England train.
4. Falcons: Kyle Pitts, TE.
Had to take him. Too good.
5. Bengals: Ja'Marr Chase, WR.
Mild surprise, but I like the thinking with WR now, we can get an OT starter later. But what are the Dolphins going to do?
6. Dolphins: Jaylen Waddle, WR.
Long way to go for a receiver like Waddle, from 12 to 6, but he should be an impact player.
7. Lions: Penei Sewell, OT.
Detroit needs a lot of help. Top tackle at 7 is a good move.
8. Panthers: Jaycee Horn, CB.
Another surprise. Now it looks like Justin Fields and/or Mac Jones will be available at 15 for the Patriots.
9. Broncos: Patrick Surtain II, CB.
I covered his dad. I feel old.
10. (TRADE) Eagles via Dallas: DeVonta Smith, WR.
Giants must be pissed.
11. (TRADE) Bears via Giants: Justin Fields, QB.
This now leaves Mac Jones. Does someone jump up in front of the Patriots?
12. Cowboys: Micah Parsons, LB.
13. Chargers: Rashawn Slater, Northwestern.
14. Jets (trade via Vikings): Alijah Vera-Tucker, USC.
15. Patriots: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama.
Things couldn't have fallen much better for the Patriots. I think this was the third QB they had rated on their board this high — I believe they only had three in the top 15 — and Jones fits what they do perfectly. He should be able to compete Day 1.
This is what I wrote about him previously:
3. Mac Jones, Alabama, 6-2 1/2, 217, 4.83
This is obviously where things get interesting for the Patriots. I didn’t want to believe the Jones hype, especially with the talk of the 49ers taking him third overall … it’s Alabama, after all … but after watching all his throws from the past season, I’m a believer. Yes, he played for a great team and coach. Yes, he only really had one year of production. Yes, he doesn’t move very well at all. But, man, he can play.
Probably the factors that separate him more than previous college pocket passers are his quick release, his feet in the pocket and his mind. People around the program swear he’s a borderline genius with great recall. And as opposed to Justin Fields and Trey Lance, Jones gets rid of the ball quickly. There’s very little wasted movement when he throws.
His feet are tremendous. He has a great rhythm to the way he gets back and then he can create movement if he has to. Great feel for the rush. His accuracy is uncanny and it’s not just because of the offense and his weapons, although that certainly helps. The comparison has been made by others, and nobody really wants to hear it and it’s a bit sacrilege, but the comparisons of Jones to a former QB around here are not that far off. The movement within the pocket, the great accuracy and ability to manipulate coverage, the competitiveness, the processing speed pre- and post-snap … it’s in the same ballpark. Similar to that other guy, can look like a fish out of water when asked to evade a rush or run away from a defender. Also, can float balls if he can’t get his feet under him — you have to worry about how he’ll fare with a subpar team around him. That’s why an established team like the 49ers would be perfect … going to, say, the Texans would be a disaster. Draft position: Top 5.
NFL Film analyst Greg Cosell on Mac Jones:
We won’t really touch on your No. 1 and No. 2 QBs in the draft — Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson — because the Patriots likely won’t have a shot at them. What did you think of Mac Jones?
I think Mac Jones is … you have to answer this question to determine what your view is of Mac Jones. … Do you view movement ability and secondary-action ability as a required trait now to play quarterback in the league? Let’s put Tom Brady aside, he’s greatest of all time. … If you don’t believe (Jones) is that level of player, then your view about mobility and secondary-action improvisation will factor greatly into your worldview of Mac Jones. Because he’s not a good athlete. He’s not big, and he does not have secondary-action ability. And he’s not a big-arm guy. Now, he can make all the throws in the context of specific offenses. But he’s not a big arm guy. So you have to decide how important secondary-action ability is to you. I’ve had many coaches tell me now that they view it as critical. I had a GM who you and I both respect tremendously say that, ‘You’d like to have it,’ but he doesn’t view it as essential. So it comes down to what your worldview of that is. I vacillate because I’m old school. If you believe secondary-action ability is critical, and you have to have it, then Mac Jones is not a first-round pick. Because he does not have it and he’s not a good athlete.
A sampling of what scouts/execs told Bob McGinn:
“If you throw away the way he looks, and he looks like shit, he’s a really good player,” said one scout. “People want to roll their eyes when you make a comparison with one of the greatest players ever. Is the guy going to win seven Super Bowls? I don’t know, but there are a lot of Tom Brady traits to this player. He’s got that kind of anticipation, that kind of arm. You want to look at him and say he’s not a good athlete, but he’s a functionally really good quarterback athlete. If you ask Tom Brady to scramble he looked like an old man even when he came out.”
“I love the kid at Alabama, but he’s not Tom Brady,” said a second scout. “Everyone’s trying to find that next Tom Brady or the next Peyton Manning, the non-mobile bell cow. Those guys are wired different. They’re culture guys. A year ago, they didn’t even think he’d be the starter at Alabama.”
“If he goes to San Francisco (No. 3), they’ll protect him with the run game,” said a third scout. “A lot of their passing is based on timing, rhythm and play-action. He should be able to do those things. But does he have an explosive arm? No. Does he have an explosive lower body? No. When push comes to shove, what’s the physical trait that gets him off the hook? Well, he doesn’t really have one. He’s got kind of a bad body … when people said he was going to the Saints in the 20s (No. 28), that made sense to me. To say he’s going to go 3 overall … as ridiculous as taking Zach Wilson is at 2, what’s even more absurd is the Niners taking Mac Jones at 3. I mean, good God.”
“They may have had the best offense this year in the history of college football, but Joe Burrow had a great supporting cast, too,” said one scout. “He is totally amazing when you break him down. Disciplined person, excellent work ethic, goal-oriented. He has a feel (for the rush). The great ones are not big-time runners. Poised, confident. I think he’ll probably go middle of the first.”
“He could be the steal of the bunch,” said a second scout. “Nobody’s saying, ‘Hey, he’s this guy,’ but there are some Tom Brady comparisons.”
“How can anyone compare him to Brady? I wouldn’t compare anybody to Tom Brady. Ever. How many guys with similar tools failed? If this guy’s the next Brady, trade your next seven first-round picks. Give up your head coach. Trade your owner.”
“When I watched him, I said this was A.J. McCarron all over again,” a fourth scout said. “The offense. The players around him. He’s got a slow delivery. He labors in his movements. If he’s in rhythm and everything is working for him, he’s a machine. I just question everything about his natural talent, his playmaking, his ability to face pressure and make plays.”
Tua or Mac?
Pick one, Jaylen Waddle.#NFLNow @nflnetwork
(H/T @AlbertBreer) pic.twitter.com/yRmIzK6FTW
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) March 3, 2021
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