Mac Jones was drafted last out of the five highly-touted quarterbacks in his class, going No. 15 overall to the New England Patriots. But knee-jerk reactions say four other teams got it wrong.
All five rookies made their debut in Week 1, with three starting but the other two still making an appearance. Jones, Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Trey Lance all scored their first NFL touchdowns, but some looked more ready for the league than others.
Jones was among three who got to start right away, and collectively they were 0-3 in their debuts.
No. 1 overall selection Trevor Lawrence completed 28 of 51 passes, throwing for 332 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. He wasn’t great. He just played like a first-year quarterback on a bad team.
Zach Wilson went No. 2 to the New York Jets, and in his debut, was 20-for-37 for 258 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.
In completing 29 of his 39 attempts for 281 yards, a touchdown and no turnovers, Jones made the Patriots look quite good.
As for the other two, neither Lance nor Fields started for their respective teams, but still contributed. Lance didn’t see a lot of action behind San Francisco 49ers starter Jimmy Garoppolo, completing one pass (for a five-yard touchdown and no interceptions.) In his “Sunday Night Football” debut, Fields completed two passes on two attempts for 10 yards with no turnovers. He also rushed in a three-yard score.
