re: mac jones

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Throughout this season, some compared Alabama quarterback Mac Jones’ ascension to Heisman Trophy candidate to the leap LSU’s Joe Burrow made the year before. And while Jones isn’t a candidate to go first overall the way Burrow did, Jones did do a reasonable impression of Burrow’s terrific production for a national title-winner.

So what can we expect from Jones as a potential starter at the next level? ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., talking on the First Draft podcast, once again drew parallels to the now-Cincinnati Bengals starter.

"Mac Jones isn't Joe Burrow, but his situation is kind of like Burrow in different ways," Kiper said. "Because Burrow beats you with his legs. Mac won't. Mac's that quarterback pocket guy, limited mobility, athleticism. Where Burrow is athletic kid, can move, can beat you with his legs. So that's that's not a comparison that's really accurate, but the situation I think is similar. Burrow had an OK year then a phenomenal year. Mac Jones only has 17 career starts so he went from four starts to the guy. So when you started out in August with Burrow you had him way down the line (on the Big Board). How far can I move him up? We had to move him up to No. 1 at some point or in the top five. But that's a quantum leap from where he was in August.

“Mac Jones in August was way down here now he's gotta be way up here,” Kiper said. “So it's hard when you start out with (Trevor Lawrence) he's up there, right? Zach Wilson we had to move up a lot because this was his only great year. Justin Fields was already up there. So when guys are already up there, we tweak them a little bit. When guys come out of nowhere, like Mac Jones did and Joe Burrow did, you got to reconcile in your mind, and we're all human, that OK these guys deserve to be up there. But I got to take a guy that I might have had 60th when the season began and put him up in the top five. You got to do it. Teams are gonna do it. Why can't we? ... (Mac Jones) is gonna go I think no later than 15 to New England. Certainly eight to Carolina (is a possibility), and that complicates things with Carolina. They had him for a week (at the Senior Bowl). There was nothing not to love about Mac Jones."

Jones completed an incredible 77.4% of his passes this season for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns with just four interceptions as Alabama rolled off 13 straight wins, including two double-digit victories in the College Football Playoff to capture another national championship.

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