The 2021 NFL Draft is deep at the quarterback position, starting at the very top where Clemson's Trevor Lawrence is widely expected to go No. 1 overall.
But it's so flush with talent that there might be a run on QBs before the Eagles even get to make the No. 6 overall pick in April's draft, which could damage the organization's potential plan to try and find a franchise QB this spring.
Unless... there are more Top 10 quarterbacks that initially believed?
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Lawrence, BYU's Zach Wilson, and Ohio State's Justin Fields are considered to be the three best QBs available by draft analysts, but former NFL starter Chris Simms said Thursday he thinks another QB name belongs in the Top 10 discussion:
Alabama's Mac Jones.
Here's Simms with a strong take on Jones:
"Mac Jones is a better prospect than Tua [Tagovailoa]. Mac Jones is going to go in the Top 10, from just what I've seen right now. I'd be shocked - I think there's going to be four in the Top 8."
NFL
That's a pretty emphatic endorsement for a player many expected, a couple weeks ago, to be the fifth QB off the board rather than the fourth.
Jones had a tremendous 2020 in his only year as Alabama's season-long starter, completing 77.4% of his passes, averaging 11.2 yards per attempt, and tallying 41 TDs compared to four interceptions.
The knock on Jones at the moment is more a question of whether he can excel without top-tier talent like Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith and the rest of Alabama's national championship-winning team.
It'll be fascinating to see if any of the teams ahead of the Eagles trade out, or select QBs, between the Jaguars and the No. 6 pick. The Jets and Falcons could be threats to take quarterbacks, in which case Jones and North Dakota State's Trey Lance would be the next-best options for Howie Roseman & Co. if they really want a quarterback.
Eagles fans might not be eager to spend such a high pick on Jones, but Simms sure seems confident that they'd be happy in the long run.
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