Alabama Football: Mac’s measurements check boxes at Senior Bowl
By Dakota Cox
Alabama football’s Mac Jones proved himself with Senior Bowl measurements
The 2021 NFL Draft class is filled with Alabama football players, and one of the most polarizing prospects is Mac Jones. While people are trying to find ways to discredit him as a draft prospect, he took away some ammo with Senior Bowl measurements.
While measurements don’t matter as much now as they used to, some draft scouts still have thresholds that they must live by. A receiver must have this quick of a 40 time, an offensive tackle’s arm length must be this long, etc. For quarterbacks, this is even more important. The biggest threshold involves hand size.
To be fair, this makes sense. Bigger hands give quarterbacks better control of the football, and small hands can lead to fumbling issues. While this might be a concern for others, Mac Jones passed the 9-inch threshold with ease. He measured in with 9 3/4″ hands, which puts any concerns about hand size to bed.
This is just an eighth of an inch smaller than what Tua Tagovailoa measured in last year’s NFL Draft cycle. Once you cross 9.5 inches, the only potential for fumbling concerns comes up on tape. Mac Jones put the ball on the ground a few times this Alabama football season, but it won’t be enough to discredit him as an NFL Draft prospect.
With measurements out of the way, Jones can focus on the rest of the Senior Bowl. He has plenty to prove in Mobile this week. He will show off his accuracy with a variety of receivers, and he will get plenty of opportunities to prove his football IQ on the whiteboard.
The best thing that Mac Jones could do for his NFL Draft stock is show off his athleticism. Jones isn’t a mobile guy, but he has a chance to prove that he can at least scramble when he needs to. While you might never run the read-option, he can at least show his ability to move within the pocket and run when the pocket collapses.
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We’ll have a full week to see what Mac Jones has to offer, but he is off to a good start with his hand measurement.