There’s a pretty easy case to be made that Mac Jones thus far has been the best rookie quarterback in all of football.
But when it comes to all first-year players, one NFL writer believes the New England Patriots signal-caller doesn’t rank inside the top five.
ESPN’s Jeff Legwold on Thursday released a rookie power ranking as we head into Week 4 of the 2021 season. Jones, who came in at No. 10, was one of three offensive players on the list.
“None of the league’s rookie quarterbacks have found much smooth sailing through three weeks, but they’ve obviously had more thrown on their plates than other rookies,” Legwold wrote. “Jones has struggled with deep ball accuracy — his 29.6% completion percentage on throws at least 15 yards downfield is the second-worst rate in the NFL — but he did take 11 quarterback hits in the loss to the Saints. Of the rookie passers, he has best maintained his mechanics for the most part amid the punishment, and his 52.0 QBR is well above Trevor Lawrence (23.1), Zach Wilson (21.9) and Justin Fields (7.0).”
Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Rashawn Slater, taken two picks before Jones, owns the top spot on Legwold’s list. Michah Parsons, Greg Newsome II, Patrick Surtain II and Ja’Marr Chase round out the top five, respectively.
Perhaps Jones will climb up Legwold’s ranking if he’s able to lead the Patriots to a primetime win over the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
