NFL Draft 2021: Let’s all be fair if 49ers pick Mac Jones

Mac Jones may not be the people’s choice, but it isn’t his fault he’s linked to the 49ers.

Poor Mac Jones, you would think being linked to a team like the San Francisco 49ers that can put you in an instant position to win would be the best thing possible for a budding quarterback.

But unfortunately, Jones is guilty in the court of public opinion for not being Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields or NDSU quarterback Trey Lance.

Yes, it’s true, and you all know it.

Now let’s be very clear right off the bat. I am a Fields guy first, then a Lance guy and only then am I a Jones guy.

I don’t get the reported hype head coach Kyle Shanahan has for Jones either. Jones doesn’t seem to do much else but be more of an accurate thrower than the others, and that’s not the guy you mortgage your future for.

But the vitriol seen online by people just isn’t fair, as they attack the Alabama quarterback himself before he’s even been picked (the idea that Jones may just be a smokescreen hasn’t occurred to them). It’s not Jones’ fault he could be picked at No. 3 overall.

It’s not fair he isn’t even been given a chance to prove his worth in the NFL by the public because he doesn’t run a sub 4.4 40-time or have a literal cannon in place of where his right arm would be.

It’s not fair Jones is called a bust because he’s from Alabama. How many quarterbacks from Ohio State or North Dakota State are successes? Scout the player, not the school.

What is fair is to hate the actual pick like I would, because trading up to No. 3 overall for Jones is not good value, but without hating the guy or withholding a chance for him to prove his worth.

Because in the 49ers offense, Jones can be a successful quarterback. He’s by all accounts an exceptional leader on the fields, exceptionally bright at the mental side of football and he’s an accurate player.

In Shanahan’s scheme, that’s all you need. Some shifty legs or a cannon arm would be a welcome addition to the offense, and I do hope that it happens, but they aren’t necessary.

So if Jones is the name that’s called out on Thursday night and you bellow out in frustration and disbelief, just keep in mind the kid didn’t ask for this and he deserves at least a chance to show Shanahan was right to put the team’s future in the hands of this rookie.

Maybe he’ll surprise.

If Jones is the pick, I’ll support him as our guy until I see an actual reason not to.

Or maybe it’ll be Fields or Lance after all, and I just wrote this for nothing.

We find out on April 29 when the 2021 NFL Draft kicks off.