© Mark J. Rebilas | 2021 Jan 11
As of the scribbling of this Jock Blog, the 49ers are three weeks to the day from selecting Mac Jones — ERRR — Justin Fields — ERRR — Trey Lance — ERRR — Oregon tackle Penei Sewell with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Just seeing if you were paying attention on that last one.
(Early digression: what if they took Sewell at No. 3, he plays Hall of Fame-level tackle for 15 years, and they scoop up Kellen Mond in the second round? Sounds like a whole ‘nother Jock Blog. Discuss amongst yourselves.)
I can’t recall precisely who was the first national media member to float the name Mac Jones to the 49ers when the trade went down 13 days ago. I only know it sounded outrageous, comical and absurd at the time.
Thirteen days later, we’re discussing on the show everything you need to know about future 49ers QB Mac Jones.
Like, did you know his real name is Michael McCorkle Jones? Or that he comes from a family of tennis players, and has a way with the racket himself? Check him out in his little rally with the Alabama women’s tennis team last year — the footwork!
Thank you @MacJones_10 for coming out to do the first serve & then some! ??#RollTide pic.twitter.com/IbvQ8K1Pdp
— Alabama Women's Tennis (@AlabamaWTN) January 19, 2020
Adam Schefter says the 49ers are taking Jones. Mike Lombardi says the 49ers are taking Jones. Mike Tannenbaum says the 49ers are taking Jones. Chris Simms says the 49ers are taking Jones. They call this “conventional wisdom”, sports fans.
And the arguments they make are air-tight. Jones’ strengths — decision-making, accuracy, anticipation, “winning before the snap”, as they say — are everything Kyle Shanahan covets.
At any rate, this Jock Blog is sort of a therapy Jock Blog, where we gather and come to grips with the idea that the 49ers traded 2022 *and* 2023 FIRST-ROUNDERS to get into a position to take Mac Jones. But — that first serve!
Among my many thoughts: Damn, what does this say about our guy Jimmy G? Jim Garoppolo is 22-8 as the 49ers starting quarterback, and purportedly offers the same skill set as Mac Jones — lack of mobility, pocket passer, system guy. Except the 49ers spent *two first rounders* to basically tell Jimmy: “We think so little of your skill set, we’re moving heaven and earth to take a guy who does everything the exact same as you, only we hope way better.”
That does not feel great, baby.
There remains the chance that the experts are wrong, and that Justin Fields — who former 49er Takeo Spikes told us today is the “loaded Mercedes S-Class” of the QBs in the draft — is the 49ers’ sneak pick all along. Reports are that Shanahan and GM John Lynch will be at Fields’ second Pro Day next week. And Kurt Warner told us this morning that the pick will depend on what the 49ers are looking for. If the 49ers are looking for a guy to process information, Warner said, it will be Jones. If the 49ers are looking for a guy who can “make THAT throw” — you know, the broken play, improv, Russ Wilson special that breaks your heart – then it would be Fields.
Feels like Jones. I am conditioning myself to fall in love with it. It will take time.
Three more weeks, sports fans. Three more weeks.