There is growing certainty in the NFL draft community that the 49ers are generally Alabama quarterback Mac Jones No. 3 will choose. Rumors started swirling just as San Francisco pulled the trigger for the No. 3 pick, and they haven’t slowed down. For some prominent NFL reporters and analysts, the concept begins with the Falcons at No. 4. However, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport isn’t ready to jump to that point just yet.
Rapoport took part in the Rich Eisen Show on Friday and spoke to the third choice about the 49ers’ plans. While he said that Kyle Shanahan, head coach of the 49ers, told him that they absolutely consider Jones at number 3, and that people who know Shanahan say he loves Jones, Rapoport didn’t stop signing him up as the choice.
I think a lot of the buzz is legitWhat I don’t know 100 percent is, are they really doing it? Rapoport told Eisen. “Because when you talk to other teams in the top 10, and really only other teams in general, everyone agrees that Mac Jones is a first round choice. Not everyone agrees. That he should be picked there. So, is he Kirk Cousins-plus for Kyle? Could be. But I’m not 100 percent ready to say, “This is definitely the man, let’s move on to the fourth pick.” ”
This is the logical conclusion to draw with Justin Fields from Ohio State and Trey Lance from North Dakota State who are also in the top three. While Jones is coming off a great 2020 season, Lance and Fields are excellent prospects in their own right with a ton of athletics adding to their advantage.
If Shanahan wants to go with the same type of quarterback that he has worked with his entire career – Jones seems like the logical choice, which is why he has been tied to the 49ers from the moment the trade closed. There’s plenty of reason to believe they’ll go in a different direction though, and someone who is as hooked as Rapoport and doesn’t commit to a number 3 player says the door is still wide open.