Top 100: Patriots QB Mac Jones Honored In NFL Rankings

New England’s second-year quarterback was the first Patriots player to be announced on the annual list.

FOXBORO – Mac Jones had a rookie season to remember. He lead the New England Patriots to 10 wins and the playoffs, made the Pro Bowl and now he is being recognized for it - and for what’s anticipated is next.

On Sunday night, NFL Network aired its annual “Top 100 Players of 2022 List,” and Jones found himself ranked No. 85 on the list.

Mac Jones. Top 85 player in the NFL pic.twitter.com/MsGZf5DRrS

— Ethan Hurwitz (@HurwitzSports) August 15, 2022

That ranking had him higher than Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb, Baltimore’s Justin Tucker, Minnesota’s Kirk Cousins and Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts, which led to some criticism online.

"I’m not a Kirk Cousins lover, but Mac Jones being 14 spots higher than him on the top 100 list? Nah man. That’s some disrespectful stuff right there," one social media user said.

Jones’ first season in the NFL was fantastic. Throwing for almost 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns is deserving of at least a spot somewhere on the list and Jones’ debut had some other NFL stars signing his praises.

Linebacker Matt Judon and defensive tackle Lawrence Guy were both shown during NFL Network’s highlight video of Jones, highlighting his season and how he has been able to win over the Patriots locker room.

Mac’s not a ‘me’ guy, he’s a ‘we’ guy,” Judon said.

Other players around the league, such as Chandler Jones and Marlon Humphery, also were impressed by his first season and were featured in the video.

As the regular season slowly creeps up, Jones will look to improve on his debut ranking and lead New England into the playoffs once again. But first, the team has a week of joint practices with the Carolina Panthers before their preseason matchup on Friday.