Would Mac Jones be the first quarterback off the board if NFL teams could redraft the 2021 class?
Boomer Esiason apparently believes so.
“I think Mac Jones would be,” the NFL Hall of Famer-turned analyst said Monday during a “Greg Hill Show” WEEI appearance. “I think everybody sees that.”
That’s right: Esiason believes Jones would be picked over Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance and Justin Fields.
Jones, the fifth QB taken in the 2021 NFL Draft (15th overall) was great in his first two games, especially when compared to the four signal-callers taken ahead of him. Jones’s 73.9 completion percentage is tops in the class, and he’s the only one of the five who has won a start.
The Alabama product definitely has left plays on the field, but he also has played mistake-free, winning football. And, really, that’s all you can ask from a rookie quarterback.
The currently wide gap between Jones and Wilson, for example, was clear for all to see Sunday afternoon when Wilson threw four interceptions in a 25-6 loss to the New England Patriots.
Jones’s abilities have much to do with his hot start, but so, too, does the situation into which he was drafted. Landing with the Patriots affords Jones perks few freshman quarterbacks enjoy: stability, great coaching, a winning culture and a great offensive line.
(Yes, New England’s line thus far has not been good, but it should get better.)
“He’s in the perfect offense,” Esiason said. “Again, you have to remember that Jacksonville is starting over. The Jets are starting over. Trey Lance is sitting on the bench just waiting for Jimmy Garoppolo to go down eventually. I think in the situation these quarterbacks find themselves in, Mac is in the best situation for a young quarterback to be supported by his team, by his coaching staff.”
Esiason added: “Josh McDaniels these last two weeks, if you ask me, dealing with a novice quarterback and playing the way Mac has played, completing about 75 percent of his passes, deserves a lot of credit for getting him to not try to do too much.”
Time will tell whether Jones indeed was the best quarterback taken in the 2021 draft. For now, any such conjecture feels premature.
Jones and the Patriots will look to make it two wins in a row this Sunday when they host the New Orleans Saints.
