Alabama QB Mac Jones had an impressive 2nd pro day this past Tuesday. It wasn’t perfect, but Jones proved that he was more mobile than analysts thought, especially with the pressure of having 49ers HC Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch in attendance.
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The 49ers were taking a close look at the Alabama QB only days after making a trade to move up to No.3 in the draft with the Miami Dolphins. It’s no secret that the 49ers are interested in drafting a QB, and HC Shanahan confirmed that Jones was indeed one of the prospects on his list to look out for.
Jones rose up the draft boards after his magnificent season at Alabama where he threw for 4500+ yards, 41 touchdowns and led the Roll tide to a National Championship victory. Jones is aware of the buzz surrounding him and the 49ers and knows it’s rare for Shanahan to venture out to pro days. He had a few slip-ups but overall impressed everyone at his Pro day.
Mac Jones showcased his mobility and arm strength
Mac Jones already threw at Alabama’s first pro day but opted to throw again to show his critics that he can make difficult throws outside the pocket.
NFL Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah had a lot to praise Jones for. “I thought he was better at this pro day than the first one,” said Jeremiah during Tuesday’s Path to the Draft Pro Day Special. “… I thought he looked quicker, I thought he looked more crisp getting outside and even some of the stuff he did here within the pocket, I liked.
In attempts to showcase his arm strength, Mac Jones did miss on a few throws. Since all these throws are pre scripted a week in advance, it was definitely something that had people in attendance questioning his accuracy. The Legendary Bill Belichick was seen shaking his head after one of Jones overthrows.
But overall, Jones did prove his critics wrong in some ways. “I just wanted to show that I’m not a statue and I can make plays. I’ll be able to do that, hopefully, at the next level,” Jones said after his throwing session.
“Obviously, it’s not going to be a clean pocket with five perfect blockers. I’m going to have to move a little bit, but you also don’t want to ruin the structure of the play. I just wanted to show that on a few, even on my creative footwork and stuff, but at the end of the day, I’m a pocket passer. I’m just going to drop back and let it rip.”
Mac Jones proved what he had to prove, but he may have been overshadowed by fellow 5-star prospect QB Justin Fields pro day at Ohio State. Fields was able to connect on a variety of difficult deep throws and ran a blistering 4.44-second 40-yard dash.
It’s widely expected that Trevor Lawrence will go first overall to the Jaguars and Zach Wilson second to the Jets. Thus, with the 49ers looking for a QB at 3, both Mac Jones and Justin Fields helped their draft stock with their respective pro days. It’ll be very interesting to see what the San Francisco 49ers do at No.3 come draft day.
