Former 49ers WR Torrey Smith blasts idea Niners draft Mac Jones

Former wide receiver Torrey Smith doesn’t think the 49ers gave up so much NFL Draft capital only to turn it into drafting quarterback Mac Jones.

If you’re part of the crowd thinking the San Francisco 49ers aren’t going to use the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, you have some additional support.

The Niners, of course, moved up from No. 12 overall with the Miami Dolphins while sending off two additional first-round picks, plus a 2022 Round 3 selection, with the full intention of grabbing a quarterback — a move forever to shake up the franchise.

Yet for whatever the reasons, a sizable chunk of the media feels as if San Francisco will turn that pick into Jones, a first-round player for sure, but certainly not someone who is seen as a top-five talent in this year’s draft class. Perhaps not even in the top 10.

And while there have been plenty of critics, one of the latest is former 49ers wide receiver Torrey Smith, who weighed in on the subject on Tuesday:

Smith later added in the tweet thread, “Y’all don’t think he would’ve been sitting around 10-12 in the draft?”

49ers probably could have Mac Jones later in Round 1

With the Jacksonville Jaguars expected to draft Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 overall, then the New York Jets probably taking BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the very next pick, the Niners’ move-up to No. 3 puts them in line to take one of the other top-two quarterbacks in this year’s class, Ohio State’s Justin Fields and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.

The gap between Fields and Lance is notably large. And while Jones is arguably the signal-caller with the highest floor, he’s also far from the playmaking type so often prized by today’s evolving league.

And from Smith’s perspective, Jones isn’t a player who should be climbing into the top 10 anyway.

Even if head coach Kyle Shanahan was zeroing in on Jones because of the quarterback’s pocket presence, accuracy and fit within San Francisco’s offense, Jones certainly could have been targeted much later than at No. 3 overall.

Assuming the 49ers felt other teams might reach for the Alabama signal-caller higher than No. 12 anyway.

The latest reports suggest the Niners haven’t made a true decision just yet, and there’s always the chance the Jones hype could be nothing more than an elaborate smokescreen or mere speculation from some top NFL insiders.

Whatever the motivation is, however, Smith certainly isn’t buying it.

And that should make those who are critical of the idea San Francisco is targeting Jones a bit happier with the 2021 NFL Draft looming on April 29.