San Francisco 49ers 2021 mock draft: Building around Mac Jones

The closer we get to the 2021 NFL Draft, the more abundantly clear it becomes that the San Francisco 49ers identified Jones as their target with the 3rd overall pick.

There is obviously still a possibility that they could be going after Justin Fields or Trey Lance, but right now, all of the smoke is pointing in Jones’ direction.

Adam Schefter of ESPN stated pretty emphatically on the radio that Mac Jones will be the third quarterback off the board.

This is not the first report of Jones going to the 49ers since they have traded for the third pick, not by a long shot.

Although most people who evaluate players for the NFL Draft didn’t have Jones as the QB3 or third overall player in this class. One guy who has had Mac Jones fairly consistently rated higher than everyone else is ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., who has had Jones in his top 15 pretty much all season.

The 49ers obviously really like the way Jones is able to spread the ball around the field accurately, and to all levels of the field. Jones doesn’t have the mobility of Trey Lance and Justin Fields, but he has better anticipation with his throws and his ball placement is tremendous.

When you combine the fact that he’s played against top flight defenses in the SEC, he’s put up big numbers and limited turnovers in the process, and the way some of his former Alabama teammates have gone to bat for him, it’s not hard to see why the 49ers would like him this much.

Jones may not be everyone’s flavor, but he’s exactly the type of player this team can win with and he works for Kyle Shanahan’s offense.