Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner had high praise for New England Patriots rookie signal caller Mac Jones.
With the preseason officially in the books, all of the quarterback situations are basically set heading into the opening week of the 2021 campaign. One of the teams with uncertainty at the position is the New England Patriots, as head coach Bill Belichick has yet to reveal who won the starting job between Cam Newton and first-round draft pick Mac Jones. The rookie had himself a good preseason, and it caught the attention of a Hall of Fame quarterback.
In his latest episode of “QBConfidential,” Kurt Warner broke down the play of Jones through his on-field appearances this summer, and he had some high praise for the Alabama product when compared to his fellow NFL Draft mates. You can watch Warner’s full breakdown of Jones in the link above in the first of two episodes talking about the Patriots rookie.
Kurt Warner has huge praise for Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones
“We’re gonna start with the number five guy that was drafted, and that’s Mac Jones, (who) you could possibly argue has been the best of all five of these quarterbacks in the preseason,” Warner said, via Alexandra Francisco of NESN. “And I think the reason he’s been the best is because what you saw in college has been able to translate over to what you’ve seen in the pros.”
Jones shined during his junior year with Alabama, as he threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions in 13 games. The signal caller saved his best collegiate performance for last, as he completed 36-of-45 pass attempts for 464 yards and five touchdowns in Alabama’s 52-24 win over Ohio State in the CFP National Championship Game.
Despite rumors that Jones could be selected as high as third-overall by the San Francisco 49ers, Jones remained on the board until the 15th pick, held by the Patriots. New England experienced their first year without Tom Brady under center last season, as the team signed Newton to be their new starting quarterback. While Newton did shine early on, the Patriots struggled as a whole on offense, leading to them missing the playoffs. So, the Patriots decided to select Jones as their potential quarterback of the future.
This preseason, Jones completed 36-of-52 of his passes for 389 yards and one touchdown.
Now, all Patriots fans can do is to wait and see who gets the starting quarterback job for the team’s Week 1 matchup against the rival Miami Dolphins. Either way, Jones certainly lived up to the hype in the preseason.