Former NFL head coach ranks Mac Jones ahead of Trevor Lawrence
Trevor Lawrence is widely considered the top quarterback prospect (and many analysts’ top overall prospect) for the 2021 NFL Draft. One former NFL head coach, however, ranks Alabama’s Mac Jones as QB1 with Lawrence as QB3.
June Jones, who coached the Atlanta Falcons and San Diego Chargers, told Eric Edholm of Yahoo Sports that he ranks Jones, Zach Wilson and Lawrence as the top three quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft.
June Jones values Mac Jones as the draft’s QB1 because of the former Alabama starter’s deep-ball accuracy.
“Mac’s deep-ball accuracy is probably the best that I have graded in my years of coaching quarterbacks,” the former coach told Edholm. “He’s almost at 55 percent at over 20 yards, which is unbelievable.”
Junes Jones said that if he were in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ position with the No. 1 overall pick, he would trade it and draft a QB with a later pick.
“He’s a very talented kid, don’t get me wrong, and I think he’s a winner,” June Jones said of Lawerence. “He can do things that other quarterbacks can’t do, such as run.
“But what I’ve noticed is, when you see him drop back and throw, let’s say, a 9-route down the field, on those completions that he had over 20 yards, a lot of times his receivers make great plays on those balls. And they weren’t right on the money, they weren’t right in stride. The receivers sometimes had to work for the deep ball with him than what (you’d expect from) a great quarterback.”
Mac Jones being drafted by his hometown team would make for a great story, but it would come as a huge surprise if Urban Meyer’s Jacksonville Jaguars drafted a quarterback other than Lawrence or Wilson. We’ll see what happens on April 29.
I know I will be labeled a Bama Homer, but I have never been impressed with Lawerence’s deep balls and he can not handle pressure if he is forced to stay in the pocket like Mac can. Wilson would be my QB1 with Jones in second.
Mac owns the pocket.
That’s just it. He won’t have a pocket in the NFL.
Depends on which team he’s on. If he goes to the Falcons, you’re right he’ll have no pocket. But Brady owns the pocket too and he’s done quite well for himself.
Look at it this way, teams that need a QB, will take Jones. Teams that need a QB usually need an offensive line because their quarterbacks struggle since they have little time to throw the ball. Jones will go to a team with a offensive line that’s not great, in a league with great defensive linemen, and will be sacked countless times. Tua didn’t have the best year. That’s because he was spoiled with a good offensive line at Alabama, but not with the Dolphins. Jones will have the same thing happen to him.
Honestly I think Mac Jones and Kyle Trask are going to have the best NFL careers. They both have great “accuracy” and the “it” factor. The both played in SEC… and Trask had grandfather that played in old AFL so he has good NFL bloodlines. Maybe I can be labeled a SEC Homer, but in 4 years looking back… Trask & Jones will starting in NFL. Just take a look at Jalen Hurts (playing in SEC) compared to Donald/Wentz/Mayfield… I would take Hurts over all three!
Trevor Lawrence may have a huge problem dealing with the losses that his new team will experience…His teams from H.S. to college only lost 4 or 5 games. So we’ll see.