Nick Saban shares conversation with Bill Belichick about drafting Mac Jones

Every college football coach is willing to advocate for his players when it comes to being drafted and playing at the next level. Alabama head coach Nick Saban is no exception, and with a glittering resume at the Crimson Tide and the high-caliber players he has coached, NFL personnel tend to lean in when Saban starts speaking.

When it came to talking to his longtime friend, New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, about quarterback Mac Jones, Saban did just that.

Nick Saban discusses what Bill Belichick wanted to know about Mac Jones

This week on the "Keyshawn, JWill & Zubin" morning radio show, Nick Saban was asked about his former Alabama quarterback, newly named Patriots starter Mac Jones.

Saban said that he and Belichick had many conversations about Jones and that other NFL coaches also approached him about other Alabama players. That said, Saban's conversations with Bill Belichick weren't about Mac Jones' ability as a quarterback. Belichick had enough tape on Jones to know what he was capable of. Instead Belichick was inquisitive of Jones' character and work ethic.

Discipline is a mindset that is a part of who you are! -Nick Saban pic.twitter.com/9Iyy1FusvN

— Drew Maddux (@DrewMaddux) August 31, 2021

Saban detailed the conversations and how they weren't about what any of his players, especially Mac Jones, accomplished on the field, but more so off the field:

"Not very many of those questions are about 'What kind of leader is he? What kind of character does he have? How is he going to impact the team? Is he going to be a good teammate? Is he going to represent the organization well?'"

He continued:

"It's amazing that I think a lot of players sometimes don't understand the importance of that side of creating value for yourself, by being the right kind of person, having the right kind of competitive character."

Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots have built a winning culture and he seems determined to keep it that way. He's a head coach who's known to detest outside distractions. Mac Jones, though, clearly checked all the boxes for the type of character and person Belichick was looking for in a quarterback.

GET THE RIGHT GUYS ON THE BUS!"Mediocre people don’t like high achievers and high achievers don’t like mediocre people ... Get the right guys on the bus, get them in the right seats, and get the wrong guys off the bus."~ Nick Saban video via @TheCrimsonWhite pic.twitter.com/sQmk3sAF5k

— Jamy Bechler (@CoachBechler) September 2, 2021

Saban also has a no-nonsense coaching style, always on the lookout for the best talent in the country. Alabama had a record-tying six players drafted in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, if anyone needed any evidence of Saban's brilliance.

Coincidentally, the first start of Mac Jones' NFL career will come as the New England Patriots face off against the Miami Dolphins, who will have quarterback Tua Tagovailoa running the show. Jones sat behind Tua in Alabama before getting his chance to start.

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