The 49ers can’t trade up for Mac Jones.
Kyle Shanahan is one of the best coaches in the NFL. The 49ers have been remarkably consistent since his arrival, even with numerous injuries to their starting quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo. Quarterback has been the main position holding this team back, and the idea that Mac Jones changes anything is laughable.
Jones is far from a bad quarterback, but he is also clearly not the third-best player in the class, nor is he even the third-best quarterback for that matter. The NFL world and helmet scouts appear to be on the verge of making the biggest mistake in recent memory of putting Jones over players like Justin Fields, but one would think that Shanahan knows better.
Shanahan has seen what a player like Garoppolo can do. Consistent, low-ceiling, high-floor, but Jimmy G will never win you many games on his own. Some coaches like the prospect of a game manager, especially in a run-first offense like they have in San Francisco, but why trade up for a player like this?
The 49ers can do better than Mac Jones
If mediocre quarterback play is what holds your team back the most, trading a king’s ransom of draft picks to trade up for the player that projects to be the most middle-of-the-pack player of the bunch makes little sense.
Of the top-five quarterbacks, Jones has the least mobility, the weakest arm, and the most character concerns by a mile. Jones’ stats were incredible in college, but perhaps that has something to do with the talent that he was surrounded by more than his innate talent.
Distinction as a Heisman finalist with a great end-of-season line does almost nothing to show how that player will project in the NFL, just like how the school that a player goes to does nothing to indicate their potential at the next level.
What it all truly comes down to is Justin Fields vs. Mac Jones at number three. People can compare Jones and his build to other quarterbacks that have succeeded in Shanahan’s system all they want; Fields is still the clear-cut best fit. As previously mentioned, Fields has the better arm, more mobility, and none of the character concerns that have popped up recently for Jones.
Stop assuming Shanahan has one-type of QB
To pretend that Shanahan only ever wants one type of quarterback in his system is foolish. The best coaches and draft evaluators take the best talent available and then build their system around their most important player. The Ravens with Lamar Jackson are a prime example of this working in practice.
If Shanahan does decide to pull the trigger on Jones over Fields, questions should be raised immediately. Jones is not a bad quarterback, but every bit of film and testing point to Fields as the better quarterback in the modern NFL.
In addition to the fit, trading up to take Jones also makes no sense, especially considering the likelihood that he would be available at 12 by most considerations anyway.
Shanahan has proven that he can win games with almost anyone under center, but trading up to replace Jimmy G with a player that is Kirk Cousins at his absolute peak pokes some holes in the young coach’s infallibility.