Panthers draft prospect Mac Jones answered critics during his first Alabama pro day
Pro days are designed to make quarterbacks look good.
Tuesday, in the first of Mac Jones’ two pro days, he looked the part. Jones threw 50 passes — a variety of short, intermediate, deep throws, throws on the run and throws under pressure — and he completed most of them.
A few of his passes were overthrown and a few were underthrown. But for the most part, Jones, who the Panthers could draft in April, performed well.
One of the biggest knocks against Jones when scouting him is his arm strength, but some of his best throws Tuesday were deep passes, albeit there was no pressure or pads.
His best throw was a 47-yarder down the left side. He ran it out of the shotgun formation and hit his receiver in stride.
Another criticism is his lack of mobility.
Jones, who is 6-foot-3, 217 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash Tuesday and was clocked at 4.68 seconds. Alabama coach Nick Saban told the NFL Network during the workout that Jones has “good feet.”
“He’s very instinctive,” Saban said. “He’s sneaky fast. I know he’s not a fast, fast guy, but he runs better than you think.”
Jones has been linked to the Panthers because of his performance in the Senior Bowl practices. He played under the Panthers’ coaching staff there and stood out among the other quarterbacks. The Panthers staff got a chance to talk to Jones and see him up close.
“I’ve been really impressed with who he is. I’ve been impressed with his character, his moxie, his swag,” Panthers coach Matt Rhule told reporters at the Senior Bowl in January. “He’s got it all. You can see why his teammates follow him.
“I think he’s shown a lot of things that he can do this week.”
Jones’ draft projection ranges between No. 8 and No. 28. The Panthers currently have the eighth pick in the draft and are looking for their future franchise quarterback.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper ranks Jones as the 12th-best player in the 2021 NFL draft and the fourth-best quarterback.
Jones threw for 3,739 yards, 32 touchdowns and four interceptions and was a Heisman Trophy finalist during the 2020 season. In the national championship game, he completed 36 of 45 passes for 464 yards and five touchdowns.
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 4:15 PM.
