Even before Mac Jones was named starting quarterback for the New England Patriots, the rookie quarterback out of Alabama was seen by many NFL experts to be the readiest to start his upcoming season. One of those analysts is NBC Sports’ Chris Simms.

Simms praised Jones for his readiness and explained why he should be starting.

“He has a nuance about him that you usually see in a third or fourth-year player,” says Simms.

Simms talked about his accuracy and his movement in the pocket. Last year, Jones was the most accurate quarterback in the NCAA hitting on 77% of his passes for 4500 yards and 41 touchdowns.’

“I’ve been really impressed by the way he has looked in preseason, he earned this job it was not given to him.”

Before preseason started, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick had named former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton as the starter, but just before the season kicked off for the Pats, he named Jones the starter, and Newton was cut from the team.