The Chicago Bears have made it very clear they are scouting quarterbacks heading into this year’s NFL Draft. The Bears were at North Dakota State’s Pro Day to check out Trey Lance, quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo was just at Stanford requesting throws from Davis Mills and now, they’re checking out Alabama’s Mac Jones, which the presence of DeFilippo strongly suggests.
Offensive coordinator Bill Lazor, DeFilippo and top scout Sam Summerville were all present at Alabama’s Pro Day this week, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The Bears also met with Jones at the Senior Bowl, and with a growing number of analysts and draft experts saying the Windy City may be the most likely destination for Jones, the hype is growing.
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Jones Was Critical of His Pro Day Performance
During his Pro Day this week, Jones netted 32 inches in the vertical jump and ran a 4.85 in the 40-yard dash, both of which are more than respectable. He threw 50 balls, missing five, challenging himself slightly with his throwing routine, adding several deep balls and rollouts to the mix:
Mac Jones showing off the deep ball at @AlabamaFTBL Pro Day 🎯
Jones left a good overall impression, but the 22-year-old quarterback wasn’t patting himself on the back after his session. “I really don’t think it was as good as I probably wanted it to be. I’ll probably be pissed about it for 20 minutes, but I’ll be good after that,” Jones told AL.com after he finished throwing Tuesday.
“I feel like I missed on a little bit of the deep throws,” he added. “That’s my best thing that I do. Hopefully I can show that. Sometimes it’s hard to spot or throw to guys you haven’t already thrown with. It seems like every time I’m throwing it’s with a new group of guys. But I just got to get better and show what I do, just like I did today.”
Still, the Alabama signal-caller felt he displayed enough to prove he has what it takes to compete at the next level. “I think I showed that I am athletic enough, clearly,” Jones told NFL Network. “And I am.”
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Jones-to-Bears Gaining Momentum in Mock Drafts
Several mock drafts, including ones from The Athletic, Touchdown Wire, Fox Sports and Sports Illustrated, all have Jones heading to the Windy City.
The young quarterback has several attractive qualities, including his skills throwing the ball deep, but he also comes with a few issues. Per PFF’s draft guide, he had a 67.3 grade against pressure and a 96.0 grade when not pressured. Thus, he’ll need to figure out how to clean his play up against an NFL-caliber pass rush. He also has about a season and a half as a starter under his belt, so his lack of experience is a legitimate concern.
Still, there’s a lot to like. Jones had a passer rating of 141.6 in 2020, and a rating of 128.1 the year before. He has great touch on his throws, and he understands how to lead an offense. Last year, he completed 77.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions in 13 games.
“I don’t want to be cocky or anything, but I do feel like I’m a likable guy that I can go into a locker room and play my role,” Jones told AL.com, adding: “If it’s scout team, I’ll play scout team. If it’s starter, I’ll play starter. But I don’t have any crazy expectations like that. That’s kind of when you put yourself in a bind, when you say, ‘Oh, I’m going to win a Super Bowl right away. Just kind of go in and do what I’ve done here for four years, earn my respect, and when I get a chance, I’m going to prove [myself] just like I did at Alabama.”
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Hype Grows as Bears Have Strong Presence at Big-Armed QB’s Pro Day: Report