Mac Jones gets NFL draft call from Patriots

Former Bolles star picked 15th overall by New England

Alabama quarterback Mac Jones (10) warms up before the first half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, Dec. 19, 2020, in Atlanta. Heisman Trophy finalists Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith have been selected to The Associated Press All-America team, Monday, Dec. 28, 2020, leading a contingent of five Alabama players on the first-team offense. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson) (Brynn Anderson, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Mac Jones is bound for the NFL and the New England Patriots.

Jones was the 15th overall selection in the NFL draft on Thursday night, slipping a bit from mock draft projections but landing with the dynasty and coach Bill Belichick.

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Jones is just the 22nd player in the Northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia coverage area to be selected in the first round of the NFL draft. He’s the first player in that region to be picked in the first round since Bolles product Hayden Hurst was the 25th pick by Baltimore in 2018.

Jones is just the second former Bolles football player to be taken in the first round of the NFL draft.

Jones went in to his college career buried on the depth chart. He ended it as a national champion and a Heisman finalist. Making it into the NFL as a first-round pick was the capper.

Jones had an exceptional redshirt junior season at Alabama, passing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns. He was intercepted just four times. Going into college, Jones was a solid prospect, a consensus four-star recruit in the Class of 2017, but stuck behind dynamic players Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa. Jones bided his time until Tagovailoa suffered an ankle injury late in the season. Jones started the final four games that season.

He won the quarterback job the following spring and parlayed that into one of the best single-season performances in Alabama history. The Crimson Tide finished 13-0, receiver DeVonta Smith won the Heisman and Jones finished third.

Area first-round NFL draft selections

Position, Player, High school, Round, Pick, Year

DT, Gerard Warren, Union County, 1, 3, 2001

WR, Ron Sellers, Paxon, 1, 6, 1969

CB, Champ Bailey, Charlton County, 1, 7, 1999

RB, C.J. Spiller, Union County, 1, 9, 2010

WR, Travis Taylor, Ribault, 1, 10, 2000

WR, Ken Burrough, Raines, 1, 10, 1970

CB, Leodis McKelvin, Ware County, 1, 11, 2008

DE, Derrick Alexander, Raines, 1, 11, 1995

DL, Earl Leggett, Lee, 1, 13, 1957

OT, Laremy Tunsil, Columbia, 1, 13, 2016

LB, Reinard Wilson, Columbia, 1, 14, 1997

QB, Mac Jones, Bolles, 1, 15, 2021

RB, John L. Williams, Palatka, 1, 15, 1986

WR, Yatil Green, Columbia, 1, 15, 1997

WR, Rod Gardner, Raines, 1, 15, 2001

LB, Jarrad Davis, Camden County, 1, 21, 2017

TE, Hayden Hurst, Bolles, 1, 25, 2018

QB, Tim Tebow, Nease, 1, 25, 2010

RB, Terrence Flagler, Fernandina Beach, 1, 25, 1987

DB, Lito Sheppard, Raines, 1, 26, 2002

WR, AJ Jenkins, Parker, 1, 30, 2012

DB, Kelly Jennings, Suwannee, 1, 31, 2006


About the Author:

Justin Barney joined News4Jax in February 2019, but he’s been covering sports on the First Coast for more than 20 years.