Patriots make rare QB move, take Alabama’s Mac Jones with No. 15 pick in NFL draft
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New England Patriots pick Mac Jones at No. 15. Here is what they’re getting.
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After 21 years and six Super Bowl titles with the New England Patriots, Bill Belichick is still reaching new milestones.
For the first time in his career with the Patriots, Belichick used a first-round draft pick on a quarterback Thursday, taking Alabama’s Mac Jones with the No. 15 overall selection.
“Secretly, I wanted to go to the Patriots all along,” Jones said in a news conference Thursday night. “I’m really happy that happened.”
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With Tom Brady piloting the team for the better part of two decades, Belichick has been reserved in his investments behind center. He added Jimmy Garoppolo in the second round in 2014 but traded the signal-caller to the San Francisco 49ers in 2018.
But after Brady left to join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last offseason, Belichick had a nearly blank slate at the position. Yet the Patriots bypassed all quarterback options in last year’s draft, instead choosing to sign Cam Newton in June.
Newton largely struggled in his first year at the helm of a new offense, throwing for just eight touchdowns with 10 interceptions as New England stumbled to a 7-9 record. But the Patriots re-signed him to a one-year contract in March.
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Belichick remained tightlipped about his intentions before the draft.
“As always, there’s some interesting players,” Belichick said in his pre-draft news conference when asked about quarterbacks available this year. “I think we talked earlier about the draft process. Some players didn’t play. Some players played a full season. Some played a partial season. So, when you look at the players at that position, I think you see a lot of differences in the 2020 season.”
Jones, the Heisman Trophy second runner-up, completed an NCAA record 77.4 percent of his passes and threw for 41 touchdowns in leading the Crimson Tide to an undefeated season and national title in 2020, his lone full season as a starter.
“This quarterback class is really a good class. I’m just blessed to be a part of it,” Jones said in March before the second of his two pro days. “You can watch the guys’ tape and see we all have great tape. But what separates me is my preparation and my ability to learn and take from the coaches’ meetings and my own meetings and apply it on the field.”
Jones was the only top quarterback whose pro day Belichick attended.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Patriots make rare QB move, take Alabama’s Mac Jones with No. 15 pick in NFL draft