A year after losing Tom Brady, the Patriots finally have a long-term plan at quarterback: Mac Jones

© Tony Dejak Alabama quarterback Mac Jones won a national championship in January, and he was coached by Nick Saban, one of Bill Belichick’s most trusted friends.

CLEVELAND — Bill Belichick sat patiently as three quarterbacks went off the board in the first three picks. He didn’t panic when the Bears traded ahead of him and took Justin Fields.

And in the end, Belichick still got his fan base what it wanted most — a first-round quarterback.

Alabama’s Mac Jones is the newest Patriots quarterback after being drafted 15th overall Thursday night in the NFL Draft.

Time will tell if Jones, the fifth quarterback selected, will be any good — history suggests only two out of the five first-round QBs will be successful in the NFL.

But Belichick at least took the plunge at quarterback, which is cause for celebration. This wasn’t like in past years, when Belichick laughed at what outsiders perceived as his biggest needs and instead took a safety or an offensive lineman.

Belichick had never used a first-round pick on a quarterback in 21 previous years with the Patriots and in five years with the Browns. But quarterback was the Patriots’ most glaring need, they finally had a pick high enough to get one of the top prospects, and Belichick made sure he got one.

Most importantly Belichick didn’t have to give up any other assets to get Jones. The 49ers gave up two first-round picks to go up and get Trey Lance, and the Bears traded first-round picks this year and next for Fields. Jones, rumored all spring to go No. 3 to the 49ers, instead fell to the Patriots at No. 15. The Patriots now have their future quarterback, and all of their picks for this year and next.

Former Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis said in February that Jones would be a good fit for the Patriots. Jones is a classic pocket quarterback who doesn’t make many plays with his feet but threw for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns, and just 4 interceptions last year at Alabama while completing 77.4 percent of his passes. Jones also won a national championship in January, and he was coached by Nick Saban, one of Belichick’s most trusted friends.

“What are the two most important components of a star quarterback? They have the ‘it’ factor. And they’re accurate. That’s who he was,” Weis told SiriusXM.

Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, a former Patriots scout, also said in March that Jones would be a great fit for the Patriots and should be able to handle the volume of information thrown at him by Josh McDaniels.

“He’s not just smart, he’s pretty special smart,” Nagy said on WEEI. “You see how quickly he makes decisions and processes. He doesn’t get confused and the game happens so slow for him. That’s the upside in Mac Jones. For him to come in and be under Josh, I know they like to switch things up every week, that is why I think Mac would be a great fit.”

Jones’s selection probably wasn’t welcome news in the homes of Cam Newton and Jarrett Stidham, who are now operating on borrowed time in Foxborough. Jones, who turns 23 in September, was considered one of the more NFL-ready quarterbacks in the draft. Newton will likely have the leg up at the start of training camp, but Jones is making more money — $16 million guaranteed over four years, compared with $3.5 million guaranteed for Newton this year — and Jones is the Patriots’ hand-picked quarterback. If Newton does start in Week 1, he’s just keeping the seat warm until Jones is ready.

Jones’s selection probably wasn’t welcome news for Jimmy Garoppolo, either. With the 49ers drafting Lance, New England would have been a good place for Garoppolo to continue his career. Instead, the Patriots took themselves out of the Garoppolo derby by selecting Jones, who will be under contract for at least four years (plus a fifth-year option) at a fraction of the price. Jones will make $4 million per year, while Garoppolo is on the books for $25 million in 2021.

Garoppolo now has to deal with a quarterback controversy in San Francisco, assuming the 49ers keep him (which they say they will). Garoppolo may start in Week 1, but he’s going to feel the pressure and hear it from fans every time he throws an incompletion or commits a turnover. And he no longer has the Patriots as a fallback.

Jones certainly comes with risk. He started only 17 games at Alabama, and only had one standout season. Jones also played with so much talent — the Crimson Tide had five players selected in the top 17 picks on Thursday night — that it’s tough to gauge how good Jones really is. His receivers were always open, his protection was always perfect, and he also got the best coaching in college football.

Those are worries for another day. Thursday night, all that mattered was that Belichick recognized his need at quarterback and made the pick.

A year after losing Tom Brady, the Patriots finally have a long-term plan at quarterback again.