Justin Wong just released his latest Mock Draft Roundup. The overwhelming favorite projection for the San Francisco 49ers at the No. 3 overall pick is the selection of quarterback Mac Jones of Alabama.
Add NFL Network's Peter Schrager to the list of those following that narrative.
The Good Morning Football host released his own mock draft on Thursday morning, and like most others, it has Trevor Lawrence of Clemson and Zach Wilson of BYU coming off the board with the top two selections. Those predictions seem like no-brainers.
Based on what he is hearing around the league, Schrager has San Francisco going with the Crimson Tide product, Jones.
"The 49ers made a decisive trade to get to No. 3 overall," wrote Schrager. "I honestly do not think they've made a decision on who the QB will be yet, but they wanted the flexibility to make that choice over the next few weeks. I will tell you this: Mac Jones' name didn't pop up out of nowhere. And I don't think it's a smokescreen. He has all of the traits Kyle Shanahan is looking for."
Jones (6-3, 214) helped guide Alabama to a National Championship this past collegiate season while completing 77.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and only four interceptions.
A potential selection of Jones might have been less criticized by the 49ers fanbase when the team sat at No. 12. It's not a popular projection at No. 3 if it means passing on more athletic quarterbacks with potentially higher ceilings, like Justin Fields of Ohio State or Trey Lance of North Dakota State.
One NFL Network analyst, Bucky Brooks, doesn't even view Jones as worthy of a first-round selection.
"Perhaps the Alabama quarterback is a secret member of The Avengers, operating like Tony Stark as Iron Man," wrote Brooks in a recent feature for NFL.com. "... While I'm not issuing a complete dismissal of Jones' talents as a pinpoint passer with nice timing, touch and anticipation, he significantly benefited from playing behind an NFL-caliber offensive line with first-round talents at wide receiver and running back. The Crimson Tide offense was the armored suit that elevated Jones' game, and scouts need to keep his production in perspective when gauging his talent."
We're still three weeks away from the start of the draft, and it is possible the narrative changes following Fields' second pro day, which head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch are expected to attend.
