New England Patriots 2021 NFL Draft grade: Pats take Alabama QB Mac Jones

With all of the premium quarterbacks off the board, Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots selected Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Jones was a name that was associated with the Patriots throughout the draft process. After quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance went in the first three picks of the draft, Jones and Justin Fields were the de facto options left at the quarterback position.

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The Bears traded up to the tenth pick to select Fields, really forcing the issue for Belichick and the Patriots, with quarterback remaining their biggest position of need on the roster.

Jones is coming off a national title season with Alabama in which he threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and four interceptions. However, the numbers don’t speak for themselves.

Jones was in an absolutely ideal situation in Alabama, with potentially the greatest receiving corps in NCAA history to support him. Jones never needed to flat out win a game for Alabama.

Even with New England’s additional firepower via this offseason’s free agency spending spree, he will need to gut out some wins. And that’s if he wins the starting job.

Taking Jones in the middle of the first round absolutely puts Belichick and Jones on somewhat of a hot seat. Selecting a quarterback that early in the draft is well known as attaching your job security to that player.

This is not to say that Belichick will lose his job if Jones turns out to be a bust. It is just to make the point that it’s a high risk, high reward move.

The Bears made even more of a high risk, high reward move by giving up their 2021 first and fifth-round picks, and their 2022 first and fourth-rounders for the Giants 10th overall pick to take Fields, a name that was repeatedly linked to the Patriots.

It’s certainly notable that a team was willing to go all-in, especially the Bears – who already went all-in on Mitch Trubisky and whiffed – on Fields, and the Patriots stood pat at No.15 for Jones. A lack of urgency in such a loaded quarterback draft class, with that position being the team’s greatest need, is questionable at best.

Jones may end up proving everyone wrong, and Belichick right. But for now, the pick and its value are in doubt in the most pivotal draft of Belichick’s tenure as the New England Patriots head coach and general manager.