With The First Pick
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Former NFL GM: Mac Jones isn’t an NFL Draft first round pick

By Kristian Dyer

Oct 31, 2020; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws a pass at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the second half of Alabama's 41-0 win over Mississippi State. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr/The Tuscaloosa News via USA TODAY Sports
Oct 31, 2020; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws a pass at Bryant-Denny Stadium during the second half of Alabama's 41-0 win over Mississippi State. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr/The Tuscaloosa News via USA TODAY Sports /
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Mac Jones has NFL talent but one former NFL general manager isn’t sold on the Alabama quarterback being a first round pick.

This, despite the fact that in recent weeks since winning the College Football Playoff, Jones has elevated his draft status from Day 2 to be a likely first round pick and his teammates at Alabama have praise for the quarterback. But for former NFL general manager Randy Mueller, the rise of Jones doesn’t align with his own evaluation of the player.

And while Mueller thinks that Jones has NFL potential, he hesitates to say that the Crimson Tide product should be a sure-first first round pick, even saying that he has some of the same issues as Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff.

What Mueller has to say about Mac Jones

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Goff was traded this offseason by the Los Angeles Rams, who took him No. 1 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft.

"“Mac Jones is interesting, there are a lot of people, me included, who don’t think he has first round talent. People are going to disagree for sure,” Mueller told FanSided’s ‘With the First Pick.’“Two things bother me: I see average arm strength and I see a guy limited to operating just from the pocket in the NFL. He needs a clean pocket to operate. Like Goff needs a clean pocket, I think Jones is the same way. He doesn’t do well when there is traffic – that is one thing that pushes me away from him in the first round.”"

Mueller’s resume points to being a well-established front office executive in the NFL. He got his start as a pro personnel assistant with the Seattle Seahawks, eventually working his way to becoming vice president of football operations with the organization. He then spent two seasons with the New Orleans Saints as their general manager before taking on the same role for three years with the Miami Dolphins beginning in 2005.

In 2008, he began a decade-long run with the San Diego Chargers as their senior executive for football operations.

Looking at season for Mac Jones

As for Jones, he had a tremendous season at Alabama where he passed for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and four interceptions. He had 17 career stats with the SEC powerhouse, this season being for what might be one of the best teams during the Nick Saban era at Alabama.

In the College Football Playoff championship game, he was 36-of-45 for 464 yards with five touchdowns in a 55-24 win over Ohio State. He didn’t have a turnover in the College Football Playoff.

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The questions about Jones center around the aforementioned arm strength but also his athleticism, a note that is a concern given the increasingly athletic caliber of the newest generation of quarterbacks as the 2021 NFL Draft approaches.

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