It’s mock draft season, which means we are going to see tons of predictions from NFL Draft analysts over the next couple of months. Some will be from reporters who are attempting to piece together what they are hearing from teams and agents. Others will be from random jabronis on the internet trying to post a bunch of wild predictions in hopes of getting a few right. Most will be somewhere in between, with draft analysts and beat writers making educated guesses.
On Monday, a CBS Sports analyst made some waves on Eagles Twitter when they predicted that the Eagles would take Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the sixth overall pick. Here is a tweet listing out the projected Top 10 in this scenario:
Obviously, plenty of Eagles fans were not thrilled. After the trade of Carson Wentz, the assumption by many was that the team would build around its second-year quarterback and give Jalen Hurts at least the 2021 season to prove that he can be the long-term answer. The counterarguments to that have been Hurts’s debut at the end of last season was a mixed bag of good and bad, that teams rarely pick this high in the NFL Draft with the chance to take a quarterback, and that this year’s draft boasts a deep quarterback class.
But Mac Jones? At 6th overall? That isn’t a name that even those in favor of drafting a quarterback have been throwing around as the pick that high in the draft.
Jones has been the afterthought when discussing the quarterbacks at the top of this draft class. Some consider him the top of the second tier, while others think he is more of a “1B” to the “1A” group of Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance (then again, you could make the argument that it’s Lawrence and then everyone else, too).
But is Mac Jones a fit for the Eagles?
While he may not be the sexy pick at No. 6, there is no denying that Jones had a very impressive college career. Sure, it came while playing for a juggernaut in Alabama with a surrounding cast of superstars, but he also went down to Mobile and lit it up during the Senior Bowl practices a few weeks ago. I covered the Senior Bowl for FantasyPros, and Jones was someone everyone was talking about during the week.
Over at Bleeding Green Nation, Brandon Lee Gowton took a look at Mac Jones, what some scouts and analysts are saying, and how he might fit with the Eagles and their plans moving forward. Here are the quick notes:
- Daniel Jeremiah has Mac Jones as his 34th overall prospect
- Jeremiah noted that Jones has average size and athleticism, excellent accuracy, decent arm strength, but his lack of twitch and athleticism could limit his playbook at the NFL level
- Jordan Reid over at The Draft Network echoes those arm strength sentiments and says Jones is an “anticipatory thrower” who is above average with “about to be open throws” but is a lower-tier starting QB in the NFL who would work best in a West Coast or “Erhardt-Perkins offensive system—quick rhythm-based throws with periodic deep shots down the field.”
- Mel Kiper has Jones going No. 8 overall in his latest mock draft while also saying Jones has a “little bit of Brady in him“
- Peter King says he sees Jones going ahead of Trey Lance based on what he’s hearing
- Chris Simms says Jones is “gonna go in the top 10”
- Former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum says Jones is “this year’s Justin Herbert”
If any of the other quarterbacks mentioned above had Jones’s resume, they’d be a lock for the No. 2 pick behind Trevor Lawrence. But it’s the physical attributes that likely hold him back in the rankings. His general lack of athleticism combined with his meh arm strength makes for a boring prospect, even if he does possess elite accuracy and anticipation.
But for every Patrick Mahomes, there is a handful of Paxton Lynches. Elite tools do not always make elite prospects or elite quarterbacks (or even good ones), but those tools tend to get the most buzz because of their potential.
But does Jones fit what the Eagles are looking for at the position? And would they really take him at No. 6? Great questions, and we don’t yet know those answers. On the one hand, the expectation here is that they give Jalen Hurts the opportunity to win the job. And drafting a quarterback that high in the first round means you intend for him to start sooner rather than later.
On the other hand, this is a new coaching staff with different plans than the last one. If they feel strongly that Jones is the quarterback of the future—and the scouts agree—then they should have the right to choose their guy. And if what we have heard about Nick Sirianni and his offensive scheme are true, then Jones’s elite accuracy and ability to make anticipatory throws might appeal to Sirianni.
After all, one of the more common comps for Mac Jones in the NFL has been Philip Rivers, who Sirianni just coached in Indianapolis.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
