The Patriots' decision to draft quarterback Mac Jones in 2021 has haunted them since he joined the team and continues to look like a massive mistake despite him being on his third team in the last four years.
Although they traded him to the Jaguars last offseason after selecting Drake Maye with the third overall pick and adding Joe Milton III in the sixth round, he is now playing for the 49ers and continues to fool the coaching staff into thinking he could still be a starter in the league.
That might be harsh, but there's a reason the former first round draft pick has been unable to sustain success in the NFL, and that is on display against during his latest outing against the Raiders in the 49ers second preseason game.
Besides consistently looking good at practice, as he almost always did in New England and Jacksonville, Jones quickly becomes a turnover machine once the game actually matters. That's the case (again) on Saturday, as it only took three receptions for him to throw his first interception.
Jeremy Chinn DIVES in for the INT ‼️
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It's the latest reminder to San Francisco that Jones easily fools coaches and his teammates with his practice performances week in and week out, but all that is thrown out the window once he takes the field in a real game, even if it's just the preseason.
Mac Jones is not living up to the hype he's received from the 49ers coaches this offseason
The 2021 NFL quarterback class is not going to be remembered fondly, as every first round pick other than Trevor Lawrence is not with the team that drafted them four years ago. You could almost argue that the Jaguars quarterback shouldn't be with his team either, at this point, but they invested a lot of belief and money into making him their next franchise quarterback.
It was an unfortunate situation for the Patriots to need a quarterback during that draft, which already looked questionable enough by having the 15th overall pick and looking like they were going to miss out on the best prospects of the class.
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That didn't happen, as Jones surprisingly fell into their lap, and they looked like they had hit the jackpot during his rookie season, only for that to collapse shortly thereafter. A lot of that could be blamed on Belichick's poor roster building and questionable decision making regarding the coaching staff.
However, Jones continues to prove there's more blame to be placed on his shoulders than he has been given over the last few years.
Despite that, the 49ers have always regretted not choosing Jones when they had the chance, as they traded up in that draft and the former Alabama star was rumored to be their favorite prospect of the class. Instead, they chose Trey Lance, who never got a proper shot at being their starter and that has since gone to Brock Purdy.
They have now given Jones a shot at being their backup and created some whispers about him potentially overthrowing Purdy, but that is far from consideration, as he adds another turnover to his resume with plenty of time to add more.