Finding Broncos: Mac Jones | QB

Welcome to Finding Broncos, our annual prospect-by-prospect series deep-diving on the coming NFL draft class. The scouting continues with Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, a prospect the Denver Broncos have been connected to via rumors all offseason.

Measurables

Height: 6-foot-2

Weight: 217 pounds

Stats

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Pros

An NFL-caliber arm (barely) despite all the talk otherwise
Deep-throw timing and accuracy two big positives
Very cerebral QB that can be trusted in his ability to read a defense
Clean throwing mechanics that don't need NFL touching up
Good pocket poise in big moments
Can shuffle in the pocket to avoid traffic, minimizing .lack-of-mobility drawbacks
No questions about his leadership, checks all of those boxes
Knows how to spread the ball around and maximize his weapons
Trust weapons to make something out of nothing
Internal clock keeps him on time with his play and going through his progressions
Senior Bowl week was super impressive to step in and play well with WRs he hardly knew
Didn't lose the timing and precision he showed at Alabama at Senior Bowl with unfamiliar WRs

Cons

Arm strength is good enough but the ball will nose dive at times
Tight-window throws are questionable without those reps at Alabama
Lack of mobility is another issue when the pocket does break down
Isn’t a threat with his legs
Teams need more than a good pocket feel which he hasn't shown
Only mechanical aspect needing work is consistency in throwing base and bend to avoid NFL issues
Overpowering supporting cast brings QB's individual wherewithal into question
Had two first-round WRs and a very talented RB with a great O-line
Senior Bowl week eased some of these concerns but not enough to completely erase them

Overview

Jones is a style of QB that the NFL is going away from. His lack of elite arm talent and athleticism hurts because both traits are two must-haves nowadays.

If Jones is going to be successful, he has to show the football IQ to really make up for those two relative question marks in his game. That’s what it's going to boil down to.

Fit With Broncos

Can Jones win without those specific tools at the NFL level by making up for them with other aspects of his game? Perhaps but he will likely be extremely reliant on the talent around him.

For a team like the Broncos coming off a boom-or-bust starting QB like Drew Lock, Jones offers a high floor as a top-end backup at worst because of his brains.

Grade: Round 2

Where he Goes: Late Round 1/Early Round 2

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