Jim Mora Jr.'s Scouting Report of Mac Jones
Former 49ers defensive coordinator Jim Mora Jr. broke down Justin Fields' game on Thursday.
Here's his scouting report for Mac Jones.
MORA Jr.: "You know he has been well coached. He was with Steve Sarkisian, so he has a great understanding of the game. He understands a pro-style offense. He knows how to get the ball to his playmakers on time and on target. He can hit the deep ball, he can hit the intermediate ball, he can throw an accurate slant route. They ran a million slants at Alabama and nobody could catch them.
"He's a good decision-maker. He doesn't panic and throw the ball to the other team. He's not going to be ever defined as a running quarterback, but I think he has some pocket mobility. He understands when to slide up, when to slide out, how to create throwing lanes in the pocket. He plays with a high degree of confidence and he has a chip on his shoulder. You've heard the stories about him challenging Nick Saban. Not many people challenge Nick Saban. He challenged him when he was the scout-team quarterback. He challenged that Alabama defense on a daily basis.
"I also like the fact that he didn't transfer and he hung in there. He continued to work and believe and he stuck to the program, and now he's going to be a first-round draft choice. I think that says something about him. I know people have compared his mindset to Joe Montana. That's a pretty heady comparison.
"I think if there's a negative, it would just be the lack of ability to create on the run. I know Kyle Shanahan likes the bootleg and misdirection stuff. Is he going to be able to perform that at the level that Kyle wants him to be able to do it? If they take him, then Kyle has determined that he can do those things.
"I'll tell you this. Whoever the 49ers take, and I think we're all assuming it's Mac Jones, but if it's not, Kyle is a great quarterback coach and he knows exactly how he's going to use this guy, whatever guy it is."
Q: Do Jones' athletic limitations give him a defined ceiling, or could he have a Drew-Brees-type career?
MORA Jr.: "As a player, I'd compare him more to Brees than to Montana, because Joe had mobility. Joe could move around, and he took some hits because of it. I think we forget that because he was followed by Steve Young. And Mac is bigger than Drew. But you know the pocket mobility that Brees shows. I think Mac can do those things.
"There are people who say he had weapons all around him. How could he fail? Well, he could fail if he couldn't throw an accurate ball. He got it to those guys. He knew where to throw it, when to throw it and who to throw it to, and he did it consistently. He's a really refined quarterback.
"I think coaches appreciate him because of his mental grasp of the game. He's a student of the game. He understands it. The composure he plays with. How he doesn't get rattled. He played at Alabama for Nick Saban, so every day maximum pressure was applied to him. He had to perform. He was never given a pass. He played against great teams week in and week out. He played on the biggest stages. He won a National Championship. Those things are valuable when you project a guy to the next level."
