(Editorial note, parts of this report also appeared in this morning’s news and notes column)
With the Patriots still in need of a quarterback, one of the topics of discussion over the weekend in relation to quarterback prospect, Mac Jones, came to light thanks to ESPN reporter, Mike Reiss. Reiss highlighted some comments about Jones made recently by former Patriots offensive coordinator, Charlie Weis, in his Sunday column.
Weis, who appeared recently on Sirius XM NFL Radio, spent some time discussing Alabama QB Mac Jones’ potential NFL future, along with some of the critics who seem to have doubts.
In a conversation between Weis and co-host, Bill Lekas, Weis pointed out the fact that despite the perception from people who downplay his junior season due to Jones’ supporting cast, Weis said it doesn’t change the fact the Alabama QB still had to go out and execute.
“You talk about being around good players. Yeah, he was around good players. But playing on a team with a bunch of stars, who is the leader of the offense?” Weis said via ESPN. “He also had to make all those throws. I think the kid is an excellent quarterback. He has less holes than just about anybody.”
Weis also said that Jones’ success speaks for itself. To do it consistently across an entire season and all the way until the end speaks volumes.
“He’s the one making all the plays,” said Weis. “All he does is win and throw completions.”
Jones remains an interesting prospect. Some mock drafts have him being taken before the Patriots have a shot at getting him at #15 (San Francisco is one that seems to be a possibility with the #12 pick, but they – fortunately – have bigger needs), while others have him falling late into Round 1 and a couple more even have him falling to the second round. So it appears there might be a shot at getting him and clearly Weis, who played a big role early in Tom Brady’s development, believes Jones has something special heading into the NFL.
One interesting thing that stood out about Jones in an article I found from back in December was the fact he appears to have a little bit of the same cockiness Brady had in him when Brady was a back-up in his first season.
Jones, who had previously played behind Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa, showed his competitiveness from his early days as a scout team quarterback.
“I don’t care if you’re my teammates or not,” receiver DeVonta Smith recalled of Jones once telling him in practice, “I’m going to come out here and try to embarrass you every day.”
CBS Sports analyst Gary Danielson once compared Jones’ path to the NFL with Brady’s, as like what Brady dealt with at Michigan, Jones had to fight his way up a pretty talented depth chart before he eventually claimed the role.
As a result, he’s a player who has always had to prove himself and that’s the type of mentality that drives the ones that are constantly working toward trying to be the best. Nothing is given, and hard work and knowing how to win, two things that Jones has already shown, ultimately are traits that define great players.
With the Patriots in need of a long-term answer as they look to get back toward becoming contenders, that’s certainly the kind of guy you want coming in.
Barring someone jumping up ahead of them, the signs seem to be there that they’ll have a shot to take him. If that does eventually play out, given his intangibles, he definitely remains one of the more intriguing prospects heading into April’s draft.
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
