Alabama Football: Patriots end Mac Jones’s slide at No. 15

Alabama football’s Mac Jones has found his new home

After two years of staying on the bench, Mac Jones finally got a chance to start at the end of 2019. In the summer of 2020, he was far from a lock to be Alabama football‘s starting quarterback. Less than a year later, he became QB5 after being drafted by the New England Patriots with the 15th overall pick.

The 49ers traded up in the 2021 NFL Draft, mortgaging their future to get a franchise quarterback. Once the trade was made, many assumed it was for either Justin Fields or Trey Lance. However, rumors immediately spread from credible sources that Mac Jones was their guy. However, the odds shifted back towards Lance at the end of the process, and they inevitably passed on Mac Jones.

Trading up for any quarterback was going to be a risk. Giving up so many picks for a quarterback widely viewed as the fifth-best in the class heightens the risk. If the 49ers were miss with Mac Jones, their fan base will revolt. At the end of the day, they felt more comfortable with taking Lance.

Jones could have seen his name called third overall, but he fell to a great situation in New England. The Patriots need a quarterback, and Mac Jones is a dream fit from a scheme perspective.

Jones proved himself during his Alabama football career. Expectations are high in the NFL, but he exceeded the expectations of Tide fans in 2020. Fans would have been satisfied with a game manager, and Jones became a Heisman finalist and record-breaker.

For Mac Jones, the dream fit was San Francisco. However, he will need to prove himself with his new landing spot. Regardless of what could have happened, Mac Jones is officially a New England Patriot.