Mac Jones was drafted last of the five quarterbacks entering the 2021 NFL Draft with high potential and praise.
But he seems to be one Hall of Fame quarterback’s favorite rookie signal caller of the class.
Kurt Warner has one of football’s greatest stories, going from undrafted to a two-time NFL Most Valuable Player and Super Bowl MVP. These days he hosts a show called “QBConfidential,” and his most recent episode broke down the performances of the most highly touted youngsters.
He started with the New England Patriots’ first pick at No. 15.
“We’re gonna start with the number five guy that was drafted, and that’s Mac Jones, (who) you could possibly argue has been the best of all five of these quarterbacks in the preseason,” Warner explained in the video’s introduction. “And I think the reason he’s been the best is because what you saw in college has been able to translate over to what you’ve seen in the pros.”
In three preseason wins, Jones is 36-for-52 for 388 passing yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.
He threw the most completions, passing yards and had the highest Pro Football Focus Grade of Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance or Justin Fields — all of whom were drafted before him.
But beyond that, Jones stood out to Warner thanks to some intangibles.
“The things Mac Jones did well in college was his ability to recognize and understand what he was seeing and get the ball out on time,” Warner said during his analysis, which you can watch in its entirety here.
Despite that praise, Cam Newton still is anticipated to be the Patriots’ Week 1 starter. But if the veteran has another shaky year, Jones certainly did enough to earn the trust of New England.
