Why 3 NFL executives aren’t sold on Mac Jones to 49ers

The 2021 NFL Draft is still more than two weeks away, so we still have plenty of time before the San Francisco 49ers will select a quarterback third overall.

Multiple NFL insiders like Adam Schefter and Peter King are guessing that the Niners will go with Alabama’s Mac Jones with the No. 3 pick. Both Schefter and King reiterated that it is their opinion that San Francisco will take Jones, but from what they’re hearing, the team hasn’t made a final decision yet.

Others, like the NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN’s Todd McShay have the 49ers going with Jones in their latest mock drafts, but one NFL insider isn’t sold.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports wrote a piece on why Jones to the Niners isn’t a lock. He spoke with multiple NFL executives who also shared the same opinion.

Is Jones definitely a better fit in the modern passing game under Kyle Shanahan than Fields or Lance? In what way? Did he really have higher highs than Fields in college? Does he truly have more potential and the same athletic ceiling? Perhaps he is more plug-and-play this very moment – but is that why teams make a move as bold as the 49ers to jump up for a QB?

“I don’t buy it,” one AFC executive said. “I think it’s Fields at 3.”

An NFC exec: “I don’t know one way or the other, but I have a hard time seeing Mac Jones as the third player in this draft.”

Another NFC exec: “Doesn’t smell right to me.”

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch will be Justin Fields’ second pro day on Wednesday before heading to North Dakota State to see Trey Lance throw on April 19.

The 49ers have kept the football world on its toes throughout the process. The first two picks of the 2021 NFL Draft seem like a forgone conclusion, so the anticipation for the Niners will go with at No. 3 is at a fever pitch.