Colts select QB Mac Jones in Todd McShay’s mock draft
The Indianapolis Colts have been knocked out of the playoffs following their loss against the Buffalo Bills on Saturday in the AFC wild-card round.
So with the season officially over, the upcoming offseason will take precedence. And with that: mock drafts. It’s impossible to know exactly where the Colts will go in the 2021 NFL draft, but ESPN’s Todd McShay has them grabbing a quarterback in the first round.
At the No. 21 overall spot, the Colts went with Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in McShay’s first mock draft of the offseason:
A fifth quarterback! Only once in the common draft era have five QBs been drafted in the first 21 picks: 1999, when Tim Couch led a pack of five in the opening 12 selections. The top end of this signal-caller class is special, and the Colts are squarely in the mix for one of them, with 39-year-old Philip Rivers finishing up his one-year deal. Jacob Eason is the only name on the Colts’ 2021 QB depth chart at the moment. Jones puts excellent placement on deep balls, anticipates well and shows poise in the pocket. His 4,036 yards and 36 touchdown passes both ranked second in the nation this season.
What the Colts do this offseason in free agency will determine their path in the draft. They could still re-sign Rivers to another one-year deal while it remains to be seen if the team will give Eason his shot in 2021. Jacoby Brissett will be off the books and searching for a starting role with a team in free agency.
In his first year as a starter at Alabama (12 games), Jones completed 77% of his passes for 4,036 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and four interceptions. He will be leading the Crimson Tide in the National Championship Game on Monday night.
Given the way the roster has been constructed over the last few years, the Colts are also in a position to move up for a quarterback if they want to. For instance, if they wanted to take the enticing project in Trey Lance, he was taken just two spots ahead in this mock draft.
We still have months to go before these mock drafts hold any weight but to begin the offseason, McShay has the Colts taking Jones as their next potential franchise quarterback.
