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After missing the playoffs for the first time since 2008, the New England Patriots entered the 2021 NFL draft with the 15th overall pick and selected quarterback Mac Jones with it.
The team's Cam Newton experiment did not go over so well in 2020. The veteran quarterback started 15 games for the Patriots last season and recorded 2,657 passing yards, eight touchdown passes, ten interceptions, 592 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. He had just 368 passing attempts in 2020, a career-low.
Newton had 137 rushing attempts and averaged 4.3 yards per carry (the second-lowest in his career). Overall, it was a rather underwhelming season from the former NFL MVP, forcing the team to find other solutions at the position.
Mac Jones is more of a field general pocket-passer who utilizes the playmakers around him. In three years at Alabama, he played 30 games (17 starts) and tallied 6,126 passing yards and 56 touchdowns with seven interceptions. He had a 77.4% completion rate in 2020 (NCAA record), 4,500 passing yards in 2020 (led NCAA) and a 203.1 passer rating (NCAA record).
All the signs point to Mac Jones having a great camp and making a solid case for the starting role. Every analyst says Jones will win the quarterback battle for the starting role, or at least win the starting job by mid-season.
But Mac Jones should not start in 2021. Here are three reasons why.
Three reasons the Patriots should sit Mac Jones for 2021
#1 - Limited starting experience
Mac Jones has had just 17 starts in three years in college. He'll need time to learn the offensive system in New England and get accustomed to the speed of the NFL.
Even if he is "NFL-ready," the Patriots should exercise patience and see the season out with Newton under center.
#2 - NFL's poor track record with rookies
Robert Griffin III, Dak Prescott, Russell Wilson, Cam Newton and Andrew Luck are the only quarterbacks in the last decade to have good rookie seasons. RG3, Newton, and Luck were first-round picks like Mac Jones.
More often than not, rookies who start their first season don't pan out, with a small handful finding some success later in their career: Teddy Bridgewater, for instance. Dwayne Haskins, who was also drafted 15th overall in 2019, had a bad rookie season and is, by all means, a bust.
#3 - New England seems to be in a win-now mode
This goes hand-in-hand with the reason above. Cam Newton is more equipped than Jones to lead the Patriots into the playoffs.
The offense is loaded with Hunter Henry, Jonnu Smith and Nelson Agholor, while the defense has stellar playmakers like Stephon Gilmore and Matt Judon. The Patriots spent $159 million in free agency to return to the playoffs this season.
The Patriots have just $10 million left in cap space and are projected to have only $24 million next year. Most of their stars are aging, giving New England a small window to win another Super Bowl.
The team cannot afford to wait on Mac Jones growing into the role as the starting quarterback. Instead, they need Newton to lead the way and guide them deep into the playoffs.
