The NFL’s premier insider left little doubt where the San Francisco 49ers are headed with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter appeared on the DiPietro, Canty & Rothenberg show Tuesday, April 6, to answer questions about who 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan and company will target when the draft goes live a little more than three weeks from now.
“It’ll be Mac Jones,” Schefter said.
“That’ll be the pick,” he continued. “And they will keep Jimmy Garoppolo this year.”
Mac Jones Likely Heir Apparent to Jimmy Garoppolo
Getty ImagesMac Jones is the presumptive third pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, per Adam Schefter.
Michael McCorkle “Mac” Jones is about as decorated a prospect as college QBs come.
The Alabama quarterback capped off his collegiate career in 2020 with his second national title as a member of the Crimson Tide on the way to winning the Manning Award, afforded annually to the top signal caller in the country.
A team captain during his first year as a starter, the redshirt junior also won the Davey O’Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award before finishing third in Heisman voting behind his favorite wide receiver target, Devonta Smith (winner), and projected No. 1 pick in this year’s draft, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence (runner-up).
The list of accolades continues on that way for another few paragraphs and can be read in its entirety, per Rolltide.com.
A trophy case full of awards is not unique following a season highlighted by 4,500 yards passing and 41 touchdowns, then punctuated by a hoisting of the national championship trophy. But the real question is can Jones, who has only one full year of experience starting under center in major college football, step into the same role for the 49ers with immediate success?
While his experience is limited compared to a prospect like Lawrence, Jones is no stranger to walking into situations characterized by immense pressure and lofty expectations. The 6’3″, 214-pound QB followed NFL starters Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa at one of college football’s premier programs in Alabama, and he did not miss a beat.
His next test will be as the likely successor to Jimmy Garoppolo, who led the 49ers to the brink of a Super Bowl victory only two years ago and in whom the 49ers still have faith.
Reports are that Garoppolo remains slated to start Week 1 for the team, which has indicated it is not willing to part with its four-year starter for anything less than first round draft capital.
Is Mac Jones Overhyped?
Getty ImagesMac Jones likely will not have long before he steps onto Levi’s Stadium field in Santa Clara, California, as a starter for the 49ers.
Much the same as his time at Alabama, Jones appears poised to receive at least some time to adjust to the next level of football before taking the reins in the Bay Area.
But in the modern day NFL, three-year preparation windows no longer exist. Sooner than later, the 22-year-old will be called upon to captain one of the most storied franchises in league history.
Will he be ready? Not everyone thinks so.
Is the Mac Jones hype out of control? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/0MtPCzcz3i
— PFF (@PFF) April 6, 2021
Pro Football Focus (PFF) used its Twitter account Tuesday as a megaphone for the opinion of NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks who more or less said to forget the third pick in the draft — Jones should not even be selected in the first round.
“I don’t know why (Mac) Jones is being viewed as a 1st-round prospect,” Brooks said publicly.
Speculation around the league indicates that Lawrence will come off the board first, headed to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Bleacher Report has noted that all signs point to the New York Jets scooping up QB Zach Wilson, of BYU, with the second pick.
That would leave Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields available for the 49ers with pick number three, and passing on Fields risky business. He is rated third on PFF’s list of top draft QBs, ahead of Jones who is slotted fifth.
PFF noted that Jones showed himself to be highly accurate last year at Alabama, finishing the 2020 season with fewer negatively rated throws downfield than any quarterback since the site began tracking college football quarterbacks seven seasons prior.
This throw from Mac Jones is stupid good pic.twitter.com/6XR30J2Fyi
— Clint Lamb (@ClintRLamb) November 21, 2020
A primary criticism of Jones, however, is that he was surrounded by immaculate circumstances at Alabama, with a highly touted coaching staff led by Head Coach Nick Saban and Offensive Coordinator Steve Sarkisian, as well as a Heisman Trophy winner in Smith lining up at wideout on every play.
It can be argued San Francisco mortgaged its future to move from pick 12 to pick 3 in this year’s draft, offering up to the Miami Dolphins first round selections in the next three drafts, along with a compensatory third round pick in 2022, as part of the deal.
There is less of an argument surrounding the notion that whoever the 49ers take when they are put on the clock Thursday, April 29, will not only define the quarterback position for at least the next five years, but potentially define the success or failure of the entire franchise for a decade to come.
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