Schefter: GMs like Mac Jones more than fans expect

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When the San Francisco 49ers shook up draft boards across the NFL by trading up to the No. 3 spot from No. 12, everyone knew they had made their move for a rookie quarterback. The only question was, who would it be? Before long, reports came out saying Mac Jones would be the pick, and not long after that came a wave of criticism from fans opining that San Francisco didn’t need to move up so high— or move up at all— to grab him.


But in an interview with 49ers Talk podcast published on Sunday, Adam Schefter reported that NFL GMs are higher on Jones than armchair GMs at home. To give an idea of how some pro scouts see Jones, Schefter quoted one NFL GM’s assessment of the Alabama QB.



“‘He’s got elite accuracy,’” Schefter said quoting his source. “‘He’s an elite processor. And he’s got elite leadership skills.’ Those were his exact words. He said that he’s higher on draft boards— more highly rated than fans believe he is.”



It’s easy to understand why NFL GMs would be drawn to Jones. He threw for 4,500 yards and an astounding 41 touchdowns with only 4 interceptions, while also completing 77.4% of his passes. The passing yards and completion percentage led the nation, while his touchdowns trailed only Kyle Trask. Sure, many teams played a different amount of games this season, as conferences put together different COVID-19 plans, or had to miss several games with COVID-19 outbreaks. You can say Jones had more weapons around him than other QBs in the draft too. But you can’t deny that Jones performed on the biggest stages and did nothing but win in 2020.



“I like to go to people whose opinion I respect, ask them their opinion and see what they say, and keep compiling these opinions,” Schefter said. “What I’ve heard about Mac Jones so far is pretty strong. Pretty favorable.”

 

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