2021 NFL ROOKIES

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

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Since Fields for the 3rd pick was hotly debated I think this video highlights why he slipped and it's for the reason most of us speculated on and his ability to process is questionable.

Seems like he can do it but it'll be a question if he can do it consistently or not.

I don't know. A rookie QB on a bad team missing reads is pretty much par for the course. A lot of those throws he's making, Lance cannot make with consistency. For Lance to be the better player, it's going to have to be above the shoulders, because Fields is pretty clearly physically superior, particularly in terms of accuracy, which is Lance's Achilles heel to date. But Lance is in a MUCH better situation. I wouldn't be all that surprised if Fields busts given what has happened to the team around him, and it wouldn't change my view of him as a prospect all that much.

Well said. Exactly how I feel about Fields. In Kyle’s system he would have been outstanding.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

MAC JONES
QB, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports an NFL offensive coach said Mac Jones was "way too protected" in the Patriots offense in 2021.

Anonymous coaches and league executives were mostly in agreement that Jones -- who served as a game manager in New England's return to the postseason last year -- is the best quarterback from the 2021 draft class. The offensive coach criticized the Patriots for not letting Jones "push the ball at all" in his rookie campaign. Indeed, only 11.3 percent of Jones' 2021 attempts were more than 20 yards downfield, one of the lowest deep ball rates in the league (Jones struggled with downfield throws, completing just 38 percent of those attempts for four touchdowns and five picks). New England was hyper conservative throughout the 2021 season, posting the sixth lowest pass rate over expected and ranking as one of the NFL's most conservative teams in the red zone. It's highly unlikely that Jones will be cut loose as a passer in 2022 with failed Giants head coach Joe Judge in charge of the team's passing offense.
SOURCE: ESPN.com

Jun 20, 2022, 11:19 AM ET

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

JUSTIN FIELDS
QB, CHICAGO BEARS

ESPN's Jeremey Fowler reports the Bears are encouraged by Justin Fields' improved mechanics, including a quicker release.

Fowler said Chicago coaches have noticed an improvement in Fields' accuracy in throwing "on the move" too. "The Bears are excited for offensive coordinator Luke Getsy's system, which should give Fields more space to operate," Fowler added. Fields' long, wind-up throwing motion was widely criticized in the lead up to the 2021 NFL Draft, and his slow release was evident throughout his rookie season starts. Fields was wildly inaccurate through much of his rookie campaign, finishing the season with the league's sixth worst completion rate over expected. He was solid on downfield throws: Only 11 quarterbacks had a higher completion rate on attempts of more than 20 yards. Fields' main fantasy appeal (in what should be an atrocious Chicago offense) lies in his rushing ability. The uber-athletic QB should be a priority later-round selection because he offers tremendous rushing upside.
SOURCE: ESPN.com

Jun 20, 2022, 10:15 AM ET

[Jikkle]

MAC JONES
QB, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports an NFL offensive coach said Mac Jones was "way too protected" in the Patriots offense in 2021.

Anonymous coaches and league executives were mostly in agreement that Jones -- who served as a game manager in New England's return to the postseason last year -- is the best quarterback from the 2021 draft class. The offensive coach criticized the Patriots for not letting Jones "push the ball at all" in his rookie campaign. Indeed, only 11.3 percent of Jones' 2021 attempts were more than 20 yards downfield, one of the lowest deep ball rates in the league (Jones struggled with downfield throws, completing just 38 percent of those attempts for four touchdowns and five picks). New England was hyper conservative throughout the 2021 season, posting the sixth lowest pass rate over expected and ranking as one of the NFL's most conservative teams in the red zone. It's highly unlikely that Jones will be cut loose as a passer in 2022 with failed Giants head coach Joe Judge in charge of the team's passing offense.
SOURCE: ESPN.com

Jun 20, 2022, 11:19 AM ET

The biggest knock on him coming out was arm strength so maybe they didn't push the ball down the field because it's something that he's not great at.

I don't hate Mac Jones either I just didn't want him at #3 because if you're going to use all that draft capital on a QB you better swing for special and I just don't think Mac Jones will be special. Just feels like he'll be around that QB category of Alex Smith in that it's pretty good but the top guys will blow you off the field.

And to be fair to Jones he doesn't have the most dynamic set of receivers so it's not like he was throwing to guys to Hill and Metcalf out there either.

So I think he could be successful if they open the offense a bit but his physical limitations are his limitations and those aren't really going to change much.

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

MAC JONES
QB, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reports an NFL offensive coach said Mac Jones was "way too protected" in the Patriots offense in 2021.

Anonymous coaches and league executives were mostly in agreement that Jones -- who served as a game manager in New England's return to the postseason last year -- is the best quarterback from the 2021 draft class. The offensive coach criticized the Patriots for not letting Jones "push the ball at all" in his rookie campaign. Indeed, only 11.3 percent of Jones' 2021 attempts were more than 20 yards downfield, one of the lowest deep ball rates in the league (Jones struggled with downfield throws, completing just 38 percent of those attempts for four touchdowns and five picks). New England was hyper conservative throughout the 2021 season, posting the sixth lowest pass rate over expected and ranking as one of the NFL's most conservative teams in the red zone. It's highly unlikely that Jones will be cut loose as a passer in 2022 with failed Giants head coach Joe Judge in charge of the team's passing offense.
SOURCE: ESPN.com

Jun 20, 2022, 11:19 AM ET

The biggest knock on him coming out was arm strength so maybe they didn't push the ball down the field because it's something that he's not great at.

I don't hate Mac Jones either I just didn't want him at #3 because if you're going to use all that draft capital on a QB you better swing for special and I just don't think Mac Jones will be special. Just feels like he'll be around that QB category of Alex Smith in that it's pretty good but the top guys will blow you off the field.

And to be fair to Jones he doesn't have the most dynamic set of receivers so it's not like he was throwing to guys to Hill and Metcalf out there either.

So I think he could be successful if they open the offense a bit but his physical limitations are his limitations and those aren't really going to change much.

IMO he’s a better player than Alex Smith. He’s an efficient QB that can definitely hit the deep ball. It’s just that the Patriots didn’t have that type or receiver on their roster. They went out this past draft to get that player, kid from Baylor (I believe his name is Thornton).

[Bingo_AlphaMan]

TREVOR LAWRENCE
QB, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Jaguars offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said Trevor Lawrence is making quicker decisions this offseason.

Changing plays at the line of scrimmage is a new development for Lawrence, who in 2021 quarterbacked a Jacksonville offense coached by the clueless Urban Meyer. Lawrence said last year "was really my first time really dealing with checking in and out of things, getting us in the right play, good matchup, route, whatever it is." In OTAs and minicamps, this offseason, Lawrence has demonstrated his ability to adjust to defenses. Tweaking plays on the fly and playing faster should make the Jaguars offense far superior to the predictable, inefficient Jacksonville offense of 2021. With a professional at head coach this season, Lawrence should be able to take a second-year leap that could make him a sneaky good selection in superflex formats.
SOURCE: SI.com

Jul 1, 2022, 11:14 AM ET

[Jikkle]

Well as of now the whole we should've taken Mac Jones talk has pretty much collapsed and all that talk of him being the next Tom Brady has completely died.

I'm giving a pass to Fields for now because the offense around him is awful but he hasn't looked that impressive either.

Might be seeing why so many teams passed on these two and what was supposed to be a strong class of QBs is looking iffy now. Right now Lawerence is about the only guy that at least seems on a positive track with Lance being still unknown, Wilson not looking so hot, Jones getting closer to being a bust, and Fields not looking good but on by far on the worst offense so we're not completely sure how much is him and how much is it on everyone else.

[thesack12]

Its still too early to completely write off Jones, but we all knew that his outlook projected to have a pretty low ceiling. Its the main reason that most of us didn't want anything to do with him @ #3.

I'm not saying he's reached it, but its starting to make you wonder if he's close to his peak already.

Fans are quite fickle, but man seeing Gillette stadium erupt into a thunderous standing ovation last night when Jones got benched and Zappe entered was crazy.

Zappe came in to lead 2 consecutive TD drives, then faded hard in the 2nd half. So who knows how long Jones' benching will last. Still the fact that Jones did get benched and we are wondering if he's going to get his job back shows that Jones' outlook is quite shaky.

I was more than thrilled that the 9ers didn't give up all that draft capital to draft Jones, and that has only been solidified since draft night. Trey Lance may ultimately underwhelm as well, but he has a chance to be special. Jones' max out always projected to being a rich man's Andy Dalton type.

[thesack12]

Hot take:

Belichick signs Garoppolo this offseason, and trades Mac Jones to Carolina for the 4th rounder , and next year's 5th rounder they got from the 49ers in the McCaffrey trade.

[CrimsonCrew]

Its still too early to completely write off Jones, but we all knew that his outlook projected to have a pretty low ceiling. Its the main reason that most of us didn't want anything to do with him @ #3.

I'm not saying he's reached it, but its starting to make you wonder if he's close to his peak already.

Fans are quite fickle, but man seeing Gillette stadium erupt into a thunderous standing ovation last night when Jones got benched and Zappe entered was crazy.

Zappe came in to lead 2 consecutive TD drives, then faded hard in the 2nd half. So who knows how long Jones' benching will last. Still the fact that Jones did get benched and we are wondering if he's going to get his job back shows that Jones' outlook is quite shaky.

I was more than thrilled that the 9ers didn't give up all that draft capital to draft Jones, and that has only been solidified since draft night. Trey Lance may ultimately underwhelm as well, but he has a chance to be special. Jones' max out always projected to being a rich man's Andy Dalton type.

I mean, a rich man's Andy Dalton is Tom Brady. But Jones has a much narrower window to get through to be a special QB. Everything above the shoulders has to be excellent, because everything below the shoulders is subpar.

I actually liked Mac Jones despite not really wanting to. I hated him at three because of his limited upside, but I would have taken him at 11, and I liked him quite a bit more than Lance, whose accuracy issues terrified me and who didn't profile as an elite athlete. Jones has a stronger arm than his detractors suggest, and he's more athletic than many assume. He ran about a 4.7 40, which is basically what Alex Smith and Aaron Rodgers ran, and both of them were considered athletic QBs coming out (at that time, anyway; standard has changed a bit since 2005). Granted it was at his pro day, so maybe take a tenth of a second off, but still a solid time. But he's not a physical specimen. His arm strength is still only okay, and he's clearly not going to hurt people with his feet. I think it was the right call to go for the upside of Lance, but I'm not at all convinced Lance will even come close to his ceiling, particularly playing for Shanahan.