49ers NFL Draft 2021: 5 ‘boom or bust’ prospects to worry about

49ers Boom-or-Bust Risk No. 3: QB Mac Jones, Alabama

Alabama quarterback Mac Jones certainly hasn’t dipped on the Niners radar, and there’s no shortage of speculation he’ll be head coach Kyle Shanahan’s top choice on draft day.

Jones, unlike Trey Lance or even Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields, arguably has the highest floor out of all the first-round signal-callers, which somewhat negates his placement on the “bust” list.

But top-five picks need to be cornerstone pieces to any franchise, and there’s no getting around the fact Jones will be overdrafted.

Just take a look at this from Bleacher Report:

"[DeVonta] Smith accounted for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns of his production. Alabama’s weapons compensated for [Jones’] average arm strength, and he won’t thrive off script like 2020 No. 1 overall pick Joe Burrow. While Jones has the feel of a late first-rounder, the lone year of standout production and strength of his surrounding pieces raise some cautionary signs."

Jones certainly benefited from a collegiate All-Star team of talent surrounding him. And while Jones is both poised and accurate from within the pocket, the modern NFL landscape is proving why improvisational quarterbacks are becoming more and more necessary for elongated success.

As far as that trait is concerned, Jones doesn’t have it.

Jones could be a good NFL quarterback. Yet if a team like San Francisco reaches for him at No. 3, it’ll be awfully challenging for him to ever live up to that top-drafted status, potentially landing him in the category of a misused pick.