There’s no way around the fact that the 2021 QB draft class has been a complete disappointment. As of today, only Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Mac Jones are still starting games for their teams. And surprisingly, the lowest-drafted of the trio, Jones, might actually have the strongest case for having the best career so far.
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Don’t get us wrong, we know that Lawrence has a playoff win under his belt, which was one of the best comebacks in NFL history. Meanwhile, Jones lost his starting job in New England and has since served as a backup. But when he stepped in for an injured Lawrence last year, the Jaguars’ offense didn’t miss a beat. In fact, at times, it even looked better.
Lawrence has always had a longer leash because he was the No. 1 overall pick. The same goes for Fields, who got three seasons to prove himself in Chicago before stints with the Steelers and now the Jets, where he’s once again been paid to start. Yet neither QB has shown much growth, as reflected in their combined 40-77 record as starters. And lately, their play has looked especially rough.
Now, Jones’ record isn’t spotless either at 24-30. Still, he’s had the most single-season wins of the three, going 10-7 in 2021, and he shares the same number of Pro Bowl selections as Lawrence. The kicker? Even as a backup this season, Jones has looked sharper than both Lawrence and Fields.
So far with the San Francisco 49ers, Jones is 4-1. He’s thrown for 1404 yards with 6 TDs and 4 INTs. But the most important part has been his clutch ability late in games. Jones has orchestrated 2 game-winning drives in just 5 starts. Not to mention, his 280 passing yards per game is by far a career-high.
After the Niners were able to take down the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday Night Football, fans began to question if Jones was, in fact, the best QB drafted in the ‘21 class.
“I have always felt this way because he was working with the least amount of talent around him yet was step for step statically with TL. If he was in San Francisco from jump he would have a magnificent career,” a fan penned, agreeing with a post on X claiming Jones might be the best QB from the 2021 class.
I have always felt this way because he was working with the least amount of talent around him yet was step for step statically with TL. If he was in San Francisco from jump he would have a magnificent career.
— Cerrone Battle (@Cerrone_Battle) October 19, 2025
“He is the best quarterback from the 2021 draft class,” another stated.
However, there were still some defenders of Lawrence, saying that the Jags QB still clears Jones when all things are considered. “He is not better than Lawrence. Cut it out,” one said.
“Mac sucks too though. He’s just in a good system that can help elevate him enough to be serviceable. Put T-Law on San Fran and they would be doing even better than rush are now lol,” another commented.
So, who’s in the right here? Is Jones better than Lawrence? Or is this all just an overreaction to recent games?
At the end of the day, saying Jones has been good feels more like a credit to Kyle Shanahan. He’s regularly regarded as one of the best coaches in the league for his offensive system, and that system has helped elevate Jones into a player we haven’t really seen before. But we’ve also seen this in the past with other Niners backup QBs.
Remember Nick Mullens? Shanahan had some teams believing that he was a viable starting QB after the 2018 and 2020 seasons. Sam Darnold also looked good at times for them in 2023, which earned him a shot with the Minnesota Vikings. And let’s not forget that Shanahan took Jimmy Garoppolo to a Super Bowl in 2019, who struggled to look anything like he did after that.
So, while it’s fun to debate, Lawrence is still the best in the class. Put him on the Niners right now, and Shanahan would probably make him look like a #1 overall pick. But that doesn’t mean that what Jones is doing isn’t impressive. He deserves a ton of credit and should feel honored to just be involved in this conversation.
