Alabama Football: 5 biggest 2021 NFL Draft debates

Alabama football plays a pivotal role in NFL draft debates

3. Is Mac Jones a franchise quarterback?

Quarterback talk is the best part of the NFL draft. Everyone puts on their scouting hat and determines who will succeed and who will bust before a single NFL down is played. As always, that is happening this offseason, and Mac Jones is at the center of it.

Almost everyone believes that Trevor Lawrence is QB1. The consensus is that Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Zach Wilson are worth taking a risk in the first round. Possibly the most polarizing prospect in the entire 2021 NFL Draft is Mac Jones, Alabama football’s star quarterback.

Jones was a stud for the Tide, but his traits don’t translate to the NFL like they used to. Teams prefer mobile quarterbacks who can make plays with their legs. Jones is capable of doing this to some extent, but he is far from a dual-threat quarterback. Because of that, the fit will matter more with him than the average prospect.

Because of this, it will be hard to call Jones a franchise quarterback without seeing where he lands. Still, some team will draft him early in the first round. When you do that, you are assuming that he will become your franchise quarterback.

We’ll have to wait a few years to see how these players pan out, but Alabama football’s quarterback is at the forefront of many draft conversations. That will continue to be the case for his entire rookie year.