To a degree, Mac Jones proved Dominique Foxworth wrong over the course of his first season in New England.
However, the NFL cornerback-turned-analyst still needs to see more from the Patriots quarterback.
Foxworth on Tuesday shared his confidence level in Jones, whose rookie campaign ended last Saturday night when New England lost its AFC wild-card game against the Bills in Buffalo.
"I mean, I think it's mediocre," Foxworth said on ESPN's "Get Up." "He did more than I think I expected. He outkicked his coverage, so to speak. So, I do think that he has something to build on going forward, but there are severe limitations to what his game is. Like, he's never going to be Josh Allen, but who the hell is? So I think that they should feel confident going forward that they have somebody that they can build around. They should try to give him some more challenges this offseason and next season because at some point they are going to need to rely on him. And any time they've tried to do that so far, it hasn't panned out."
Mediocre probably is the appropriate level. Jones didn't come close to flaming out like so many rookie QBs have in the past, but he also didn't pop like Justin Herbert did in 2020. The 2021 first-rounder is trending in the right direction, although he has plenty to work on heading into his sophomore season.