Getty Mac Jones
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ans of the New England Patriots were impressed with Mac Jones in his rookie season but heading into 2022, Jones’ peers don’t exactly feel the same way.
ESPN released a ranking of the top 10 quarterbacks and Jones was not on it. The network surveyed 50 league executives, coaches, scouts, and players to come up with the result.
The top quarterback on ESPN’s ranking was Aaron Rodgers, followed by Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Tom Brady, and Joe Burrow to round out the top five. Matthew Stafford, Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, and Dak Prescott was the final name in the top 10. Brady is the oldest on the list at 44 years old and Herbert is the youngest at 24 years old.
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Beyond not making the top 10, Jones didn’t even make the honorable mentions portion and did not receive any votes. Jones wasn’t the only notable omission as Lamar Jackson also failed to make it on the list.
Still it’s hard to argue with the top 10 that was listed. Each of the quarterbacks listed deserves to be on there.
But there are plenty of reasons to be excited about Jones. Especially since he is arguably the second-best quarterback in the AFC East with Josh Allen being the clear leader.
How Did Jones Perform in 2021?
Jones had a really impressive rookie season. He led all rookie quarterbacks in passing touchdowns (22) and also threw for 3,806 yards.
The quarterback was able to lead New England to the Wildcard round but the Patriots couldn’t defeat the Buffalo Bills.
Providence Journal Patriots reporter Mark Daniels was quite impressed with Jones calling him “one of the best rookie QBs in NFL history.” When you look at the stats, it is quite a reasonable opinion.
Jones was only the 12th rookie QB to lead his team to a winning record and the eighth to win 10 or more games in a season. He also was just the 15th rookie quarterback to throw for 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns in their debut season.
Patriots fans will be even more excited heading into the 2022 regular season thanks to all the hard work Jones has put in this offseason.
How has Jones been Preparing for the 2022 season?
Whether it be on or off the field, Jones has been doing all the right things this offseason. He came to minicamp looking much slimmer and told the media that he worked on his diet in the offseason.
Jones has also been hosting throwing sessions with various teammates to help build chemistry ahead of the regular season. His efforts have caught the attention of team leaders such as David Andrews.
“The kid’s a hard worker,” Andrews told 98.5 the Sports Hub. “He works his butt off, day in and day out. Sometimes I try to get him to take a deep breath, but that’s what you want out of your quarterback. He works really hard. He’s a tough kid. It’s been fun, for the past year, for me to get to know him and got a lot of respect for how he does things and how he carries himself.”
So while he isn’t in the top 10 yet, Jones is well on his way to eventually being a part of the conversation.