Would Jones be top QB in 2021 redraft? Ex-NFL MVP has bold take originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston
It’s been a bit of a rough start for the five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
No. 1 pick Trevor Lawrence is 0-2 and hasn’t played particularly well with five interceptions. No. 2 pick Zach Wilson also is 0-2 after throwing four interceptions as part of an awful Week 2 performance against the New England Patriots. No. 3 pick Trey Lance has only attempted one pass through two weeks. No. 11 pick Justin Fields picked up his first win for the Chicago Bears on Sunday after replacing veteran Andy Dalton due to injury.
That takes us to Mac Jones, the No. 15 pick by the Patriots.
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Jones has looked like the rookie QB best prepared to win at the pro level. He’s been very accurate with the sixth-best completion percentage (73.9) in the league. He hasn’t committed any turnovers and has avoided critical mistakes we often see from inexperienced signal callers.
The praise for Jones through two weeks — whether it’s from players, coaches or anonymous league execs — has been immense. One of the boldest takes has come from former NFL MVP Boomer Esiason, who was asked Monday on WEEI’s “The Greg Hill Show” if Jones would be the first quarterback selected in a 2021 redraft.
“Well, I think Mac Jones would be. I think everybody sees that,” Esiason answered.
“He’s in the perfect offense. But 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. So, 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.”
It’s silly to do redrafts after two games. Jones has looked good, but it’s not like he’s been lights out. Much of that isn’t his fault, though, as the Patriots seem to be taking a very conservative approach with him. Jones has been given more of a game-manager role, which does make sense when you consider the talent level of the Patriots defense.
The other first-round rookie quarterbacks, as Esiason noted, also are on much worse rosters. That’s to be expected when players are taken high in the draft by teams who struggled the previous year.
Jones has been the most impressive rookie quarterback through two games, and that’s an encouraging sign for the Patriots. But let’s pause the 2021 redraft talk until we have at least a full season’s worth of data and film to review.