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This week’s CBSSports.com simulation draft has the Steelers making a big trade on the board to catch Alabama quarterback Mac Jones.
Why not, no? He piloted the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2020 College Football Playoff Championship. And if Ben Roethlisberger is eliminated, the Steelers will be looking for their quarterback of the future.
If not this year, then the next.
Opinions are mixed on Jones, and it’s an edifying tale of how much stock to take in these mock drafts so early in the process.
Here’s what CBS said in their article on why the Steelers would try to swing a trade with the Los Angeles Chargers in the No.11 pick of the No.24 pick.
“… The Steelers are looking for their next QB franchise and will need to trade for it. Two decades ago Jones, a traditional pocket passer, would have been one of the top 5 picks. In 2021, he will be less valued than the most athletic QBs in this category, but he has a chance to be as good if not better.
Note that “less than the sportiest QBs… two decades ago” thing. We will come back to that. In the meantime, I have a few more thoughts on this theory.
Right now, I don’t think you have to climb 11 places to get Jones. If the Steelers really want him, he might still be available in the 1920s. But I guess quarterbacks tend to gain ground as the draft draws near. And sometimes teams get itchy when writing.
Frankly, I don’t mind when teams do that for a quarterback. If you’re completely sold on a player in that crucial position and want him at # 24 and think someone else can catch him before you do, trade for him. And pay a lot to do it.
You think the guy will be your next franchise quarterback to replace Big Ben, right? The cost shouldn’t matter.
So the concept of bolting the board, I get it. I co-sign this mentality.
But if that’s me, and we’re talking about Jones in particular, I’m not completely sold. I’m not even convinced he’s a top player, let alone worth getting high to have him.
I loved him in college. How can you not? And I understand why some people make comparisons to Joe Burrow. He was LSU’s No. 1 overall pick last year and was having a great rookie season before sustaining a knee injury.
Like Burrow, Jones was a championship quarterback at a major SEC school. This year indicated he had a better arm than skeptics assumed. He has a good head on his shoulders in the pocket. And it is precise. A 77.4% completion percentage and a 41: 4 hit-to-intercept ratio show it.
But he’s an inch or two smaller than Burrow. He is 5 to 10 pounds lighter. And he is seen as less agile in moving around or escaping the pocket.
As Geoff Schwartz, NFL analyst and former NFL offensive lineman, told NBC Chicago when discussing the idea of the Bears negotiating for a quarterback, Schwartz criticized Jones. And much of his analysis had to do with that aforementioned lack of mobility.
“Mac Jones, I don’t see myself being good in the NFL,” Schwartz said. “I think we’re seeing a new version of the quarterback that has to be mobile. Mac Jones is not mobile. I think we’re looking at how open his wide receivers are in Alabama – Tua (Tagovailoa, fellow alum Alabama) has this problem in the NFL – they’re not open in the NFL. You have to open them. You have to say, “OK, it’s not open now, but if I throw the ball now, it will be open then.” This anticipation, you don’t have to do in Alabama. You don’t have to anticipate, these guys are wide open.
“I’m concerned about Mac Jones’ mobility and his ability to throw himself into narrow windows when it’s not perfect.”
I co-sign all of this too. As USA Today’s Doug Farrar pointed out, Alabama went to great lengths to minimize Jones’ need to travel.
And if the Steelers offensive line requires as many quick throws as they did last year as they undergo a rebuilding process, the Steelers better wait to put Jones behind five blockers who are in the realignment phase to be patched together. .
Not to mention the persistent lack of a complementary run game.
In February, it’s easy to kick off a simulation project to titillate Steelers fans. But it’s a bit like betting on total over / under goals for the Penguins’ playoff opener two months in advance. Especially this year, when we don’t even know if the Penguins will make the playoffs. Not to mention who they play.
There are too many variables such as workouts, trades, free agency decisions, and off-season injuries to make a true board.
People do them anyway. And sometimes where I see the value is talking about the thought process that may be required to get a certain player, especially a quarterback.
If any of you are on the “Mac Jones Express” – and my email and my Twitter feed indicate that many of you are – this dialogue is at least somewhat useful today.
Not so much in the cause and effect of “Fake Project Says Steelers Drafts Mac Jones, So Expect That To Happen.”
Rather, it’s to start a conversation if the Steelers should be interested in Jones to begin with. And if trading for him is really worth it.
For now, I would say no to both.
Tim Benz is a writer for Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication, unless otherwise specified.
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Sports | Steelers / NFL | Breakfast with Benz
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