FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — After months of hypothesis on the New England Patriots probably making a daring transfer up the 2021 NFL draft board for his or her quarterback of the long run, coach Invoice Belichick performed it cool and let the draft come to him.
Then Alabama’s Mac Jones dropped proper into his lap.
It is one of many uncommon instances when months of projection main right into a Belichick draft really produced an correct outcome. Jones was talked about as a Patriots chance all the way back in January.
Again then, ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay famous how Jones was “tremendous clever” with “pocket presence” and somebody who “feels issues, anticipates, and will get the ball out.” Those that comply with the Patriots know these are core tenets of what they worth. They are not trying as a lot for the quarterback who runs a Four.Four-second 40-yard sprint or makes off-platform throws as a lot as decision-maker who’s correct and loves soccer.
Then in February, former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis doubled down, saying he believed Jones was the very best match for the crew.
“What are the 2 most essential elements of a star quarterback? They’ve the ‘it’ issue. And so they’re correct. That is who he was,” mentioned Weis, who pushed back on the criticism Jones was a product of getting NFL-caliber talent gamers round him.
“You discuss being round good gamers. Yeah, he was round good gamers. However enjoying on a crew with a bunch of stars, who’s the chief of the offense? He additionally needed to make all these throws. I feel the child is a superb quarterback. He has much less holes than simply about anyone,” Weis mentioned.
So, Jones to the Patriots has been on the radar for a while, which is not normally the way in which it really works with Belichick’s drafts. Predicting his targets is commonly a fruitless pursuit.
The wrinkle this 12 months, nevertheless, is that the San Francisco 49ers‘ daring commerce as much as No. three in late March got here with a month of media hypothesis that it was for Jones. However once they drafted North Dakota’s Trey Lance as an alternative, the celebs started to align again.
Jones himself even noticed it coming.
“On the finish of the day, you sort of wish to get the suitable match. I really feel like, secretly, I actually needed to go to the Patriots all alongside,” he mentioned late Thursday evening. “So I am really actually completely happy it occurred.”
And now the query naturally turns into: How quickly can the quarterback torch be handed in New England?
Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham have been attending voluntary offseason exercises at Gillette Stadium the previous two weeks, with many of the skill-position gamers additionally with them as some early chemistry is shaped. Jones has floor to make up, and he struck a humble tone Thursday evening, saying he plans to return in behind Newton and Stidham and study from them.
However Belichick did not choose Jones at No. 15 for him to be a backup, which implies it is solely a matter of time.
“Cam’s our quarterback. No matter time Jarrett or Mac are able to problem and compete, then we’ll see how that goes,” Belichick mentioned.