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Which NFL team makes the most sense for Mac Jones? ESPN analyst names ‘perfect’ fit for Alabama QB
As the football calendar shifts into NFL Draft coverage, one name that continues to generate more and more attention is Mac Jones.
With Jones coming off arguably the most impressive single season at the quarterback position in Alabama history, not to mention leading the Crimson Tide to an undefeated national championship season, Jones has launched himself firmly on the NFL’s radar.
Following his incredible season, Jones then went down to Mobile for the 2021 NFL Senior Bowl and did everything he could to impress scouts and league personnel at the event. Now after all that, Jones has begun to pop up on NFL mock drafts – not only in the first round but in the top 10.
So which NFL team makes the most sense for Jones?
That was a question tackled by ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky during a recent appearance on NFL Live.
“San Francisco 49ers,” Orlovsky said. “Think about what Mac Jones just did in Alabama right? There Alabama, he did it under Steve Sarkisian, their play-caller. Steve Sarkisian was in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons right after Kyle Shanahan was there, so they majored in that play-action passing game. That’s a perfect, ideal fit for both the player and the team.
“Kyle Shanahan doesn’t need athletic quarterbacks. He doesn’t need these runners. He actually prefers those guys that utilize that bootleg a little bit more, that play-action game just a little bit more because it’s such a big fundamental part of their offense. So I think, to be honest, it’s a home run for both again, the football team scheme-wise and the player.”
Considering Jones is in such high demand, the 49ers may need to trade up to get the quarterback from Alabama, as San Francisco currently owns the No. 12 overall selection in the 2021 NFL Draft.
If they do, they could be landing the perfect option for the team’s offense, at least according to Orlovsky.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee, Michael Wayne Bratton oversees the news coverage for Saturday Down South. Michael previously worked for FOX Sports and NFL.com