Am I the only one that doubts QB Mac Jones?

I go back and forth. He made some really impressive throws last year, as well as grading insanely high but he also had the best weapons in the country. Would I take him top 4? No. Do I think he's a 1st round QB? Yes.

I see a modest athlete, with great intangibles, who benefited from being surrounded by outstanding talent. Add to that an early run on QBs, and he'll get over drafted.

The 49ers were rumored to be very interested because he would be an immediate starter so they can move on from Jimmy G. Pats would also make sense if another team doesn't move ahead of them at 15. Guys like Trabisky show the kind of gambles teams are willing to take on QB's to find their QBOTF. I think Cousins is a good comparison with a slightly bigger upside since he is a better athlete than Kirk.

Nope, I doubt him, too. But I doubt all of them. Here's how I'd rank them...right now...

1. Zach Wilson (arm, mobility and moxie too Mahomesy to ignore)
2. Trevor Lawrence (huge talent. But is accuracy there?)
3. Trey Lance (HUGE risk due to little experience against terrible competition. A gamble on greatness)
4. Mac Jones (He's a younger, faster KIrk Cousins and that's top 10)
5. Justin Fields (Show me a QB who's never gone through progressions and he will always be last on my list)

It is absolutely crazy how his stock has risen and how others have fallen. He definitely benefited from playing at Alabama but he has some skills. Do I think he is the number 3 quarterback? Nah but someone else obviously does. Or do they? We'll find out during the draft for sure. 

Mac Jones and Trey Lance are both incredibly difficult to project.

I watch a ton of Crimson Tide football and Mac Jones definitely has the intangibles and makes some throws now and then that really make you go wow...

OTOH, I dont think his ceiling is as high as Cousins. And I freely admit I'm penalizing him cause of the best surround college football has to offer (on both sides of the ball). 

I've come around on Mac Jones. Yes, he's been surrounded by top talent along the OL and at WR, but his performance against pressure is off the charts.  Better than Wilson, Lawrence, Fields, and any other QBs drafted the last couple years.  He's also very good when blitzed.  This isn't your typical Alabama QB.

If I were ranking the QBs in this draft class, my top 5 would look like this:

1 - Lawrence (still think the talent and ceiling are the highest in this draft)

2 - Wilson (I like his ability to extend plays and lots of wow throws but this could get him into trouble in the NFL)

3 - Mac Jones (intangibles and productive when it matters, doesn't have the ceiling of the top 2 but he has a chance to be a very good NFL QB)

4 - Trey Lance (one year wonder with level of competition questions, but he's a good passer despite being labeled a dual threat / high upside, see him being similar to Dak Prescott but may not be able to start as a rookie)

5 - Justin Fields (super athletic and TOUGH, but I don't like QBs that haven't had to work through progressions / project QB with high ceiling but extremely low floor IMO)

@"MaroonBells" said: Nope, I doubt him, too. But I doubt all of them. Here's how I'd rank them...right now...

1. Zach Wilson (arm, mobility and moxie too Mahomesy to ignore)
2. Trevor Lawrence (huge talent. But is accuracy there?)
3. Trey Lance (HUGE risk due to little experience against terrible competition. A gamble on greatness)
4. Mac Jones (He's a younger, faster KIrk Cousins and that's top 10)
5. Justin Fields (Show me a QB who's never gone through progressions and he will always be last on my list)

The idea that Fields can't work progressions is going to lead to him being the best value of the QBs. He should be QB 3 behind Wilson but will be graded 4th or 5th on a lot of teams boards. If you go back to his Georgia tape, albeit limited, and his HS tape he is very capable of working progressions. The way OSU made him play isn't indicative of what he is capable of. At this point I am out in left field but its what I truly believe. 

@"Geoff Nichols" said:

@"MaroonBells" said: Nope, I doubt him, too. But I doubt all of them. Here's how I'd rank them...right now...

1. Zach Wilson (arm, mobility and moxie too Mahomesy to ignore)
2. Trevor Lawrence (huge talent. But is accuracy there?)
3. Trey Lance (HUGE risk due to little experience against terrible competition. A gamble on greatness)
4. Mac Jones (He's a younger, faster KIrk Cousins and that's top 10)
5. Justin Fields (Show me a QB who's never gone through progressions and he will always be last on my list)

The idea that Fields can't work progressions is going to lead to him being the best value of the QBs. He should be QB 3 behind Wilson but will be graded 4th or 5th on a lot of teams boards. If you go back to his Georgia tape, albeit limited, and his HS tape he is very capable of working progressions. The way OSU made him play isn't indicative of what he is capable of. At this point I am out in left field but its what I truly believe. 

I'd be happier than my moniker if the Vikes drafted Fields.  That dude looks like a player to me.

@"BarrNone55" said:

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

· 2m

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan asked on going to Alabama Pro Day tomorrow, and not North Dakota State or BYU, says it was important for the team not to tip its hand before the trade was done.

"Now that you're up at 3, you don't have to hide as much."

Well damn. I guess there you have it?

@"MaroonBells" said: Nope, I doubt him, too. But I doubt all of them. Here's how I'd rank them...right now...

1. Zach Wilson (arm, mobility and moxie too Mahomesy to ignore)
2. Trevor Lawrence (huge talent. But is accuracy there?)
3. Trey Lance (HUGE risk due to little experience against terrible competition. A gamble on greatness)
4. Mac Jones (He's a younger, faster KIrk Cousins and that's top 10)
5. Justin Fields (Show me a QB who's never gone through progressions and he will always be last on my list)

I struggle with anyone that puts Lawrence below #1.  He is being widely described as a generational talent.  Does this mean he won'f fail?  Absolutely not but he is clearly head and shoulders the top QB prospect since Luck.  Fields is the wildcard here, just not enough games in a weird season to get a good reading Lance too, big arm, very athletic but can he run an NFL system?   He could be Mahomes, he could be Manzell.  This is why QB is the single most difficult position to evaluate and the failure rate is so high.  So much is asked of these young men in a TEAM sport.  Supporting cast means so much.  

In a crazy year I rank them
Lawrence
Wilson
Fields
Lance
Jones
Mills
Trask 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"BarrNone55" said:

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

· 2m

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan asked on going to Alabama Pro Day tomorrow, and not North Dakota State or BYU, says it was important for the team not to tip its hand before the trade was done.

"Now that you're up at 3, you don't have to hide as much."

Well damn. I guess there you have it?

@"Canthony" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"BarrNone55" said:

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

· 2m

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan asked on going to Alabama Pro Day tomorrow, and not North Dakota State or BYU, says it was important for the team not to tip its hand before the trade was done.

"Now that you're up at 3, you don't have to hide as much."

Well damn. I guess there you have it?

IT will be Lance. You dont trade up to 3 unless you KNOW you will get your guy. Lance is the ONLY guy guaranteed to be there at 3.

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Canthony" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"BarrNone55" said:

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

· 2m

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan asked on going to Alabama Pro Day tomorrow, and not North Dakota State or BYU, says it was important for the team not to tip its hand before the trade was done.

"Now that you're up at 3, you don't have to hide as much."

Well damn. I guess there you have it?

IT will be Lance. You dont trade up to 3 unless you KNOW you will get your guy. Lance is the ONLY guy guaranteed to be there at 3.

I'm not even sure what that means. You don't trade up a month before the draft for "your guy." You trade up to three because you've identified three players you'd be very happy with, regardless of which one remains. Since we know it's a QB, it's fairly obvious two are Lawrence and Wilson. So the question is...who's the 3rd? Sure, it could be Lance. Could also be Fields. But it could also be Jones. If I were putting money on it, I'd bet on Jones. 

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Canthony" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"BarrNone55" said:

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

· 2m

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan asked on going to Alabama Pro Day tomorrow, and not North Dakota State or BYU, says it was important for the team not to tip its hand before the trade was done.

"Now that you're up at 3, you don't have to hide as much."

Well damn. I guess there you have it?

IT will be Lance. You dont trade up to 3 unless you KNOW you will get your guy. Lance is the ONLY guy guaranteed to be there at 3.

I'm not even sure what that means. You don't trade up a month before the draft for "your guy." You trade up to three because you've identified three players you'd be very happy with, regardless of which one remains. Since we know it's a QB, it's fairly obvious two are Lawrence and Wilson. So the question is...who's the 3rd? Sure, it could be Lance. Could also be Fields. But it could also be Jones. If I were putting money on it, I'd bet on Jones. 

@"StickyBun" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Canthony" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"BarrNone55" said:

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

· 2m

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan asked on going to Alabama Pro Day tomorrow, and not North Dakota State or BYU, says it was important for the team not to tip its hand before the trade was done.

"Now that you're up at 3, you don't have to hide as much."

Well damn. I guess there you have it?

IT will be Lance. You dont trade up to 3 unless you KNOW you will get your guy. Lance is the ONLY guy guaranteed to be there at 3.

I'm not even sure what that means. You don't trade up a month before the draft for "your guy." You trade up to three because you've identified three players you'd be very happy with, regardless of which one remains. Since we know it's a QB, it's fairly obvious two are Lawrence and Wilson. So the question is...who's the 3rd? Sure, it could be Lance. Could also be Fields. But it could also be Jones. If I were putting money on it, I'd bet on Jones. 

This. Weirdly good things could happen at this #3 spot. They for sure love their QB board at the very least for the Top 3, but what if some dumb GM takes a player outside a QB at #2? Or a team trades up to the #2 spot for a non-QB? I mean, crazy stuff has happened. Not probably, but not impossible either.

@"StickyBun" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"Canthony" said:

@"MaroonBells" said:

@"BarrNone55" said:

Albert Breer

@AlbertBreer

· 2m

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan asked on going to Alabama Pro Day tomorrow, and not North Dakota State or BYU, says it was important for the team not to tip its hand before the trade was done.

"Now that you're up at 3, you don't have to hide as much."

Well damn. I guess there you have it?

IT will be Lance. You dont trade up to 3 unless you KNOW you will get your guy. Lance is the ONLY guy guaranteed to be there at 3.

I'm not even sure what that means. You don't trade up a month before the draft for "your guy." You trade up to three because you've identified three players you'd be very happy with, regardless of which one remains. Since we know it's a QB, it's fairly obvious two are Lawrence and Wilson. So the question is...who's the 3rd? Sure, it could be Lance. Could also be Fields. But it could also be Jones. If I were putting money on it, I'd bet on Jones. 

This. Weirdly good things could happen at this #3 spot. They for sure love their QB board at the very least for the Top 3, but what if some dumb GM takes a player outside a QB at #2? Or a team trades up to the #2 spot for a non-QB? I mean, crazy stuff has happened. Not probably, but not impossible either.

Did the #49ers really trade up to 3rd overall to take Mac Jones??

That would be quite the #NFLDraft day surprise and @MoveTheSticks told us if there's really a romance blossoming between San Fran and the #RollTide QB: pic.twitter.com/34sQZzuJ7X

— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) March 29, 2021