How Mac Jones' Preseason Debut Compared To Other 2021 First-Round Quarterbacks
BOSTON (CBS) -- It's not often that five quarterbacks get picked in the first 15 selections of the NFL draft. That was, of course, the case this year, with Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, and Trey Lance going 1-2-3, and with Justin Fields (11) and Mac Jones (15) completing the quintet.
Perhaps all five quarterbacks will wind up in the Hall of Fame. Perhaps they'll all be busts. More likely, one or two will thrive and become certifiable stars, one or two will last in the league but won't reach true greatness, and one or two might become massive disappointments for the franchises that invested so heavily in them. Which ones fit into which categories is anyone's guess at this point in time.
But what has happened thus far is the preseason debut of each first-round QB. Here in New England, we tend to get hyper-focused on the local team, so it's worth taking a moment to look around at the rest of the rookie QB group to see how Jones' preseason showing compared.
That is, obviously, said with the understanding that preseason stats are only preseason stats, and they are not indicative of any future growth potential. But for now, they're all we've got.
COMPLETION PERCENTAGE
1. Justin Fields: 70% (14-for-20)
2. Mac Jones: 68.4% (13-for-19)
3. Trevor Lawrence: 66.7% (6-for-9)
3. Zach Wilson: 66.7% (6-for-9)
5. Trey Lance: 35.7% (5-for-14)
PASSING YARDS
1. Justin Fields: 142 yards
2. Trey Lance: 128 yards
3. Mac Jones: 87 yards
4. Trevor Lawrence: 71 yards
5. Zach Wilson: 63 yards
YARDS PER ATTEMPT
1. Trey Lance: 9.1
2. Trevor Lawrence: 7.9
3. Justin Fields: 7.1
4. Zach Wilson: 7
5. Mac Jones: 4.6
TOUCHDOWN PASSES
1. Justin Fields: 1
1. Trey Lance: 1
3. Mac Jones: 0
3. Trevor Lawrence: 0
3. Zach Wilson: 0
RUSHING
1. Justin Fields: 5 carries, 33 yards, TD
2. Mac Jones: 2 carries, 0 yards
3. Trey Lance: 0 carries
4. Trevor Lawrence: 0 carries
5. Zach Wilson: 0 carries
PASSER RATING
1. Justin Fields: 106.7
2. Trey Lance: 93.8
3. Trevor Lawrence: 90.5
4. Zach Wilson: 86.8
5. Mac Jones: 78.2
PFF PASSING GRADES
1. Mac Jones: 82.0
2. Zach Wilson: 78.8
3. Justin Fields: 64.2
4. Trevor Lawrence: 58.5
5. Trey Lance: 49.0
The last one -- a subjective grade from the analysts at Pro Football Focus -- certainly is a bit surprising, especially compared to the traditional passer rating numbers. But it's at least indicative of some of the things Jones might be capable of that didn't show up on the stat sheet during last week's game against Washington.
Again, it's all just one preseason game. But with this quintet of QBs set to be analyzed and dissected and compared to each other for the coming decade-plus, the process is now officially underway.
