Patriots: Mac Jones is the highest-graded QB in the 2021 NFL preseason

The New England Patriots may have found their franchise quarterback. Here’s why Mac Jones is already off to an impressive start. 

It’s hard to read too deeply into preseason games. Starting-caliber players often get matchup up against guys that won’t make an NFL roster, and there are a plethora of factors to consider.

While it’s important not to get fixated on preseason records or statistics, New England Patriots rookie quarterback, Mac Jones, is off to a terrific start to his NFL career. In fact, through his first two preseason games, he has been the highest-graded quarterback in the NFL so far, according to Pro Football Focus:

Take this with a grain of salt. Many of the top NFL quarterbacks haven’t even played in the preseason, and many of those who did have seen limited action this summer. Regardless, Jones is clearly doing something right, and the Patriots may have found their quarterback of the future.

This 92.4 overall grade from Mac Jones certainly doesn’t mean that he’s going to start from the gate for New England. Cam Newton has looked solid in his own right, and the veteran is going to get the first crack at it.

When will Mac Jones start for the Patriots?

Projected to have a terrific defense in 2021, Newton could prove to do enough to keep the Patriots in most contests – perhaps even fight for playoff contention. However, if things go south on offense again this year, Bill Belichik could turn to Jones for help.

Jones just fits exactly what the Patriots like to do. He’s extremely accurate in the short to intermediate-range and still has the ability to push the ball down the field when need be. In addition, Jones seems to already be ahead of the learning curve when it comes to going through his progressions and getting the ball out on time.

During his time at Alabama, Jones passed for 6,126 yards to go with a whopping 56 passing touchdowns and just 7 interceptions, according to Sports Reference. On paper, Jones’ elite production in the best conference in college football was intriguing, but many questioned his upside as his pedestrian size, arm strength, and mobility all came into play.

Fortunately, Mac Jones isn’t letting any of these knocks on him affect his play on the field so far, and he has been thoroughly impressive through two preseason games.

We don’t know how Mac Jones will look in the regular season when he eventually becomes the starter for the New England Patriots, but it’s hard not to be encouraged by what we have seen so far. There could be plenty more to come in the future.