Why Mac Jones Should’ve Gone 3rd Overall
With the 3rd pick in the 2021 NFL draft the San Francisco 49ers select, … Trey Lance, quarterback North Dakota State University! After the first round of the NFL draft wrapped up, many people were shocked. For one, no one thought that Ja’marr Chase would go to the Bengals because they were in dire need of an offensive lineman and Penei Sewell was still on the board. Then the question everyone had, was finally answered. Who would go 3rd overall, Mac Jones or Trey Lance?
The 2020 NFL season was a disaster for the 49ers. They were a disaster. Their starting quarterback Jimmy Garropalo was injured in week 2 and it all went downhill from there. They ended the season 6–10 near the bottom of their division. Going into the draft the San Francisco 49ers had snagged the 3rd overall pick after making a trade with the Miami Dolphins. The 49ers were ready to move on from Jimmy Garropalo, they wanted a fresh start. Everyone knew they would most likely draft a quarterback, but which one?
Mac Jones was your typical quarterback that would have been perfect five or so years ago. He is a pocket passer with limited speed and mobility. He has a very nice touch on the ball and can fit it into tight windows and make most throws. The game of football is evolving and what was once a run-heavy league, is now pass-heavy. More and more quarterbacks now are very agile and fast and are expected to be able to scramble. They can get in and out of the pocket really quick and can make plays. Trey Lance is one of those players, he is very fast and elusive, he can make people miss and create plays with his feet. The 49ers are moving away from Jimmy G who was like Mac Jones, a typical pocket passer. They wanted someone who was more exciting and who could evade the rush. It makes sense that the 49ers organization wanted to transition to the new age of mobile quarterbacks.
The 49ers run a West Coast offense, which is a very pass-heavy playbook. The quarterback usually is in the shotgun and has 3 receivers and a tight end to throw to. This gives the quarterback time to recognize the rush since they aren’t under center. This also gives the QB the option to scramble. Mac Jones went to college in Alabama, their playstyle is up-tempo and lots of runs and ins and outs. They also ran lots of Run Pass Option plays. RPO for short is when the quarterback has the option to hand the ball to the running back, scramble, or throw it to a receiver who was motioned over before the snap. Trey Lance ran a play-action type of offense, which means that the quarterback fakes handing the ball off and looks downfield to throw. Trey Lance and Mac Jones both fit the 49ers playbook well enough to have a successful offense.
While most people thought that the 49ers taking Trey Lance at 3rd overall was better than taking Mac Jones, Mac Jones was actually the more complete and better player. For one, Mac Jones played a full season in 2020 while Trey Lance only played one game. Mac Jones plays in the toughest conference in college football (SEC) and in 2020 teams only played against teams in their conference. This means throughout 2020 Mac Jones faced up against some of the best college football players and beat all of them. On the other hand, Trey Lance played for a division 2 football team. So while some of his highlights may look good, he is playing against much worse opponents than Mac Jones was.
Throughout the 2020 season, Mac Jones was on fire. He broke several Alabama records and was unstoppable. Every team he played against he
thrived, and made the defense’s struggle. They truly had no way to stop him. He was on a path of destruction.
Trey Lance was the starting quarterback for North Dakota State University. In all of 2020, he only played one game. In that game, he played great. He amassed 149 yards on 15 of 30 attempts and 2 touchdowns. Although Trey Lance’s highlights from 2019 and his one-game from 2020 looked good, you have to remember that he plays for a division 2 school and against other division 2 schools. Due to Covid-19 he only played 1 game in 2020.
At the start of the 2020 season, there was one huge question among Alabama fans. Who would be the starting quarterback? Would it be the highly touted 5-star Freshman Bryce Young or the steady veteran Mac Jones? Mac Jones had struggled in the last regular-season game in 2019, throwing 2 interceptions for touchdowns. He played much better in the Citrus bowl and made a name for himself. In my opinion, I really wanted to see Bryce Young start, he was electric. His highlights were insane and he was a very quick scrambler quarterback. After the end of the 2019 season, I was a little disappointed with Mac Jones, and I didn’t think he had what it took. He shocked everyone. He played his heart out and finished 3rd in the Heisman voting. The Heisman trophy is given to the best player in the nation. Mac Jones’s teammate Devonte Smith won it in 2020.
Both these quarterbacks are very good. Trey Lance is a scrambler you can extend plays and get out of tough situations. Mac Jones is a pocket passer who can fit the ball into tight windows and read defensive covers, and make all the throws. Side by side they are two very different players, Mac Jones relies on his arm and vision to be able to excel, while Trey Lance has the ability to escape the pocket. Comparing stats from the 2020 season wouldn’t be fair since Trey Lance only played one game, so I will compare overall college career stats.
In 2019 Trey Lance was named the starting quarterback for the North Dakota Bisons. Throughout the two seasons he started he accumulated 2,947 passing yards on 208 attempts and 317 completions. He also had 30 passing touchdowns, 1,143 rushing yards, and 16 rushing touchdowns. He did this all in the 17 games he started in. Trey Lance earned the 2020 NCAA Division I Football Championship Game MVP, the Walter Payton Award (2019), the Jerry Rice Award (2019), MVFC Offensive Player of the Year (2019), and the First-team All-MVFC (2019). Trey Lance was also a two-time FCS National Champion.
Late in the 2019 season, The starting quarterback (Tua Tagovailoa) for the Alabama Crimson Tide went down with a season-ending injury. He dislocated his hip, and would not be able to return. Mac Jones started the last 4 games in the 2019 season. He played ok, but not what Alabama fans were expecting. In 2020 when he was named the starter he didn’t look back. In only 13 games he threw for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. This was on 311 completions and 402 attempts. This gave him the best pass completion percentage ever since this became a statistic. For Mac Jones stellar season he earned the Davey O’Brien Award (2020), the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (2020), the Manning Award (2020), the Consensus All-American (2020), the First-team All-SEC (2020), and the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year (2020). He was also a two-time National Champion.
Mac Jones and Trey Lance are both very good athletes. They both led their teams to National Championships and won. They dominated every game they played. Trey Lance draws close comparisons to Russell Wilson, the Seattle Seahawks starting quarterback. Russell Wilson can throw the ball downfield and make plays with his feet like Trey Lance. On the other hand, Mac Jones’s comparison is to the greatest quarterback of all time, Tom Brady. Tom Brady is the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) of the NFL. He has won more Super Bowls than any other player (7). Mac Jones stays in the pocket and has small mobility, but he makes great throws and knows what to do and how to read a defense, just like the GOAT Tom Brady. Drafting Trey Lance at the 3rd overall pick was risky, but could turn out great. Mac Jones was a safer pick and arguably a better choice. He had an outstanding 2020 season, and I think his success should translate to the NFL level. Drafting Trey Lance that early in the draft wasn’t the best choice but it could turn out great, I think both players will have good NFL careers.