Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots had never drafted a quarterback higher than No. 62 overall (Jimmy Garoppolo) entering the 2021 NFL Draft. That changed Thursday night.
The Patriots selected Alabama's Mac Jones with the No. 15 pick, the highest they've taken a QB since 1993. Jones seems like a solid fit for New England -- he played for Belichick's good friend Nick Saban and has even drawn some Tom Brady comparisons -- and should compete with Cam Newton for the starting job.
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So, how did the Jones selection go down in Foxboro? The Patriots shared a "war room" video featuring the moment the team drafted Jones, and it's pretty interesting.
First, the video showed Belichick (sporting a Navy facemask) asking several front-office staffers -- Matt Patricia, Dave Ziegler, Eliot Wolf and Matt Groh -- if they're OK with the pick, a nod to the team's supposedly "more collaborative" draft approach this season.
Belichick then got on the phone with Jones for the first time to share a brief welcome message for the 22-year-old QB.
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"Hey Mac, it's Bill Belichick. Congratulations," Belichick says. "Look forward to working with you. A lot of Tides up here, so you'll fit right in."The Patriots indeed are loaded with Crimson Tide alumni: Jones joins fellow Alabama products Damien Harris, Dont'a Hightower and Anfernee Jennings on the current roster and was the 11th player Belichick has drafted from Saban's Alabama program, an NFL record.
Belichick wasn't exactly brimming with enthusiasm in the video, but team owner Robert Kraft added a little more chutzpah while talking to Jones.
"Everyone here who I've talked to about you, they tell me you're a phenomenal person," Kraft told Jones. "The academics in my family will love that you had a 4.0 GPA. We're excited to have you. All of New England is really excited with this pick."
The Patriots made plenty of fans happy by taking a QB in Round 1 -- but there's still plenty of draft left to go.