Amid Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields’ Struggles, Is Mac Jones the Best QB From the 2021 Draft Class?

No one will dispute 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, Jones, the lowest-drafted, might be having the best career amongst the trio so far.

Don’t get us wrong here. We know that Lawrence has a playoff win under his belt. That win by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2022 postseason over the LA Chargers was one of the best comebacks in NFL history. Jones, meanwhile, lost his starting job in New England and has since served as a backup — with the Jags last season and the 49ers this year.

But when Jones 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. Jones has orchestrated two game-winning drives in just five 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 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 statistically with TL. If he were in San Francisco from jump, he would have a magnificent career,” a fan commented, agreeing with a post on X claiming Jones might be the best QB from the 2021 class.

“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 factors are taken into account. “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 they 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, Kyle Shanahan should be credited for Jones’ good run. He’s 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. And we’ve also seen this kind of elevation 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 has struggled to look anything like that since then.

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.