The New England Patriots may have just found the guy to finally allow them to move on from Tom Brady at the quarterback position.
As we know, Brady decided to leave the Patriots and head south as he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and had instant success as he guided the Florida-based franchise to their second Super Bowl and his seventh ring.
Bill Belichick and the Patriots opted against drafting a new quarterback in that year’s draft and settled for Cam Newton, who they managed to acquire in free agency after he was released from the Carolina Panthers three months prior.
There will have been some enthusiasm that they would have been on the road to replacing Brady, as Newton had been able to lead a franchise to the Super Bowl and win it as the MVP in the past, however things did not quite work out as well as they would have hoped.
2021 NFL Draft saw Mac Jones traded to the New England Patriots
Therefore, the 2021 NFL Draft was the time for Belichick and the Patriots to select a new quarterback in the first round for the first time ever under the current coach. They drafted Mac Jones from Alabama as the #15 overall pick and will likely be delighted with what they managed to get, with many who were live betting on the Draft surprised he was still available at that position.
Firstly, many would not have had Jones available at #15, with many expecting that he would have gone a little earlier in the draft, however the Patriots managed to get their man without having to trade up and potentially lose any crucial picks later in the draft.
There have already been plenty of comparisons between Brady and the latest New England QB, with many believing the similarities between the two could potentially breed the same success the NFL franchise had during their dynasty years.
It should not come as a surprise that he was selected by the Patriots, though, as Jones’ pro day was the only one that Belichick attended; with him were Josh McDaniels and Nick Saban. There is a thought that Saban helped influence the pick, as the current Alabama coach is good friends with the Patriots boss.
Mac Jones had a standout college year for Alabama
Jones was a record-breaker during his time at college, though, so he will be at the Patriots by the admission of his own merit, as the QB impressed continually. Despite the fact that he had to wait for ages to get a gig at Alabama, as Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa were in front of him until they were drafted, Jones made sure he would make a lasting impression.
The quarterback managed to break the school passing record with 4,500 yards, whilst the 41 touchdowns he threw came in the 13 games he played in last season. He also held a college-wide 77.4 completion percentage, which is the highest ever since Colt McCoy’s 2008 year with Texas. Furthermore, Jones broke last season’s passer rating as he achieved 203.06 to take the record from last year’s #1 draft pick, Joe Burrow.
Despite not being the Heisman Trophy winner, he led his team to a national championship victory over Ohio State and managed to complete 80% of his passes for a total of 464 yards and five touchdowns: setting a national championship record in both passing yards and completions.
Conclusion
With figures like that in his final year of college, there will be plenty of optimism in New England that Mac Jones can be the next Tom Brady and there is no reason as to why he cannot. He carries a swagger and arrogant confidence, but he has all the ability to back it up.