Mac Jones Impresses at Patriots OTA’s.
The Patriot Way, a common term in New England that has become the description of the New England Patriots' 20-year dynasty. To summarize, it means: always show up, give it your all, never give up, and no excuses; those are the keys to success. Former University of Alabama quarterback Mac Jones is already executing "The Patriot Way" on the field.
The New England Patriots had their first open OTA on Thursday, giving the public a first look at their first round draft pick. OTA's, also known as "Organized Team Activities," is a voluntary program designed to help transition players into summer training, minicamp, and eventually preseason.
From the small amount of videos released by the media, Jones is already turning heads. What was most noticeable was his accuracy, hitting his targets perfectly and all over the field. A couple more things that stood out was: his quick release, awareness around him, and his deep ball, throwing at least 20 yards down field for most of his snaps.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick says Jones was ready to get started. "Mac dove into the playbook and continues to do that."
Although all seems well for Jones, there will be a QB battle. The Patriots currently have four QB's on the team roster: Veteran NFL QB's Cam Newton and Brian Hoyer, former Auburn QB Jarrett Stidham, and former UA QB Mac Jones. Even though Belichick had positives to say about Jones, he made sure to keep his comments about the QB's generic. "I think all the quarterbacks are working hard," said Belichick. "Like everybody out there, we all have a lot of things to work on and that includes everybody."
One Patriots player, however, had high praises for Jones. Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne thinks Jones will be a big presence to the team. "(Jones) comes to work and you can feel his energy and leadership already. He has a swagger to him that I didn't even know he had." It is rumored that Bourne and Jones have already developed a friendship.
According to the Patriots unofficial depth chart, Jones is placed a the fourth quarterback spot at the moment.