Mac Jones

An anonymous NFL general manager is confident the San Francisco 49ers are going to select Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the third overall pick in the 2021 draft on April 29.

The GM explained to Mike Sando of The Athletic on Wednesday that Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan follows in the footsteps of his father, former NFL head coach Mike Shanahan, in evaluating quarterbacks. He said their time together in Washington leading up to the 2012 draft, when the franchise selected Robert Griffin III at the behest of owner Daniel Snyder but later took Kirk Cousins, is an example.

"Kyle and his dad went along with it, but they still drafted Kirk Cousins in the fourth round and all along, they thought Cousins was better, and essentially they were right," the general manager said. "Kyle comes to San Francisco and who does he want? Cousins. In the end, he wants Cousins and he sees Mac Jones having some of the same qualities. He doesn't fall in love with the physical traits."

The GM added: "I'm confident Mac Jones is Kyle's guy."

An NFL offensive coordinator stressed the expected decision by the Niners to select Jones over Ohio State's Justin Fields will be based on the fit for the offense.

"My own opinion is, I don't think Fields is [Shanahan's] style," the coordinator told Sando. "Fields sees it, waits on it, throws it, has a big arm, but not a lot of anticipation. I just don't know that that's the guy they are going to get."

Clemson's Trevor Lawrence is the presumptive first pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars and BYU's Zach Wilson is expected to land with the New York Jets at No. 2 as part of a QB-heavy top five. The Niners will then have their choice of the remaining options, led by Jones and Fields.

North Dakota State's Trey Lance is the other quarterback who's been mentioned as a potential top-10 pick as part of the loaded quarterback class.

Shanahan hasn't tipped his hand since the team made a trade with the Miami Dolphins to acquire the third overall selection in late March.

"To move up to three, we had to feel good there'd be three guys we'd feel comfortable leading our team for a long time," he told reporters after the deal. "There's a chance to get there with four or five. There's five guys at are kind of at this party."

While the sources who spoke with The Athletic believe the Niners are pretty locked into Jones, CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora talked with others who aren't convinced.

"I don't buy it," an AFC executive said. "I think it's Fields at three."

An NFC exec added: "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."

So with the top two picks pretty much set in stone, the intrigue of the draft really begins with the Niners, and their decision could have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the first round.

The Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals both have their quarterbacks for 2021 in Matt Ryan and Joe Burrow, respectively. While the Falcons may eye the heir apparent to Ryan, they could also demand a cache of future picks from a team looking to move up for a signal-caller. The Bengals' pick may also be in play depending on what happens at Nos. 3-4 in the order.

Whether it's Jones, Fields or Lance, the 49ers' trade up sets the stage for the team to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo at some point over the next year, and where he'll land will become a hot-button topic coming out of the draft.

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. predicted the San Francisco 49ers will select Alabama quarterback Mac Jones after making a trade with the Miami Dolphins last month to acquire the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft.

Kiper released his latest mock draft Tuesday morning with the top three selections being quarterbacks followed by the Dolphins moving back up in the order to target Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Here's a look at the top five choices:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars: Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson

2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

3. San Francisco 49ers: Mac Jones, QB, Alabama

4. Miami Dolphins: Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida (mock trade)

5. Cincinnati Bengals: Penei Sewell, OT, Oregon

The Niners' selection is probably the one that's going to attract most of the attention leading up to the draft, which kicks off April 29. The Jaguars are locked into Lawrence, and all signs point toward the Jets taking Wilson with the second choice.

So San Francisco, which likely wouldn't have made the bold move up the order unless it wanted a quarterback, will have its choice of the remaining options. The other three consensus first-round signal-callers are Jones, Ohio State's Justin Fields and North Dakota State's Trey Lance.

Although the speculation has pointed toward Jones heading to the 49ers, not everyone is convinced.

"I don't buy it," an AFC executive told CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora on Monday. "I think it's Fields at three."

An NFC executive added: "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."

Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch attended Jones' Pro Day workout in late March, and the quarterback expressed interest in joining the 2019 NFC champs.

"I'm really happy that they came," Jones told reporters. "The trade is the trade. Hopefully, I impressed them. I would love to get a chance to play anywhere in the NFL, but obviously with a great franchise like that."

Jones completed 77.4 percent of his throws for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions while helping lead Alabama to the national title in his final college season.

Meanwhile, Pitts is also coming off a standout 2020 campaign with 12 touchdowns in eight appearances for the Gators. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him become the first non-quarterback off the board.

"You didn't see this one coming, did you? All along we've talked about the Dolphins adding weapons for Tua Tagovailoa, and Pitts is the ultimate weapon in this class," Kiper wrote. "Why couldn't they take him?"

Kiper predicted the Dolphins would send the Falcons a pair of 2022 draft picks, second- and third-rounders, to move up the two picks necessary to land the Florida tight end.

Pitts joining fellow tight end Mike Gesicki and a wide receiver group led by DeVante Parker, Will Fuller V and Preston Williams would give them no shortage of weapons to improve on their 22nd-ranked offense from 2020.

The burden would still fall on Tagovailoa to take a major step forward in his second NFL season, though.

The New England Patriots and New Orleans Saints are "very high" on Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, according to CBSSports.com's Jason La Canfora.

"If he did become the fifth quarterback off the board—which is where most had him spotted when the actual college football stopped being played—things could get interesting," La Canfora wrote. "New England could move up a few spots from 15; New Orleans has a steep climb from 28th overall, though that's where many would have projected his sweet spot to be when his college career concluded."

While Trevor Lawrence has been locked in as the Jacksonville Jaguars' top pick for months, the New York Jets can go in numerous directions with the No. 2 overall selection. New York's decision will likely come down to quarterbacks Zach Wilson and Justin Fields, or outside playmakers like DeVonta Smith and Ja'Marr Chase.

Appearing on on DiPietro, Canty and Rothenberg on April 6, ESPN's Adam Schefter asserted Jones would likely come off the board at No. 3 to the San Francisco 49ers. NBC Sports' Peter King followed up Monday to report the Niners haven't made a final decision.

La Canfora was more skeptical of the Crimson Tide star landing in the Bay Area, writing it "is not passing the smell test of some other teams in this draft."

Jones was prolific in his only full season as a starting quarterback, throwing for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and four interceptions while completing 77.4 percent of his passes.

Still, it's fair to wonder how much that translates when he isn't attacking college secondaries with Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle as two of his top targets.

The B/R NFL Scouting Department projected Jones to land at No. 15 to the Patriots. Nate Tice provided an explanation of the pick:

He may have shaken his head in disgust at Mac Jones' pro day, but Bill Belichick goes with his fast-processing QB of the future. While Jones' upside is limited, he would bring smarts, accuracy, anticipation and poised play to New England that will get the most out of whatever system and talent is around him, although he might not be able to create much more out of it.

Because of where their first picks fall on Day 1, New England and New Orleans probably won't have a shot at Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Zach Wilson or Trey Lance. Jones will likely be the best signal-caller on the board when they're on the clock.

And the Patriots and Saints could be in the market for a QB over the three-night draft. In both cases, they retained a veteran—Cam Newton for the former, Jameis Winston for the latter—who may not be the long-term solution.

Newton struggled in 2020, finishing with 2,657 yards, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also ran for 592 yards and 12 scores. However, the three-time Pro Bowler acknowledged his COVID-19 diagnosis was a point of demarcation in his season.

Winston, meanwhile, only threw 11 passes in 2020, with the Saints turning instead to Taysom Hill to replace an injured Drew Brees. The lasting image of the 27-year-old largely remains a 2019 campaign in which he led the NFL in passing (5,109 yards) while throwing for 33 touchdowns and 30 interceptions.

There's growing buzz that the San Francisco 49ers will draft Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the No. 3 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, but don't rule out the possibility that Justin Fields will end up with San Francisco instead.

"I don't buy it," an AFC executive told CBS Sports' Jason La Canfora regarding the Jones-to-the-Niners chatter. "I think it's Fields at three."

"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," an NFC executive said.

"Doesn't smell right to me," a separate NFC executive told La Canfora.

It's always hard to know the difference between smokescreens and genuine interest this time of year. One thing to consider is why the 49ers would bother to put out counterintelligence at this point with the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets widely presumed to be set on Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson with the first two picks.

Are the Niners worried a team that loves Fields might offer a bundle to the Jets to move up to No. 2? Are they putting out a Jones smokescreen to prevent that scenario so they can select the Ohio State product? Or do they just love Jones?

The NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah seemingly believes San Francisco's interest is real, projecting Jones to the Niners in his latest mock draft, though he noted he was "surprised that everything you hear points toward Jones being the Niners' pick at No. 3."

Jeremiah ranked Fields as the better prospect, No. 8 on his big board with Jones No. 32. (Lawrence is No. 1, Wilson No. 4 and North Dakota State's Trey Lance No. 7.)

How the 49ers handle the pick will have major ramifications on the rest of the draft (barring the Jets' surprising everyone and not selecting Wilson). If the pick isn't Fields, more than a few people will be surprised, despite the Jones buzz.

"Maybe teams are seeing things we don't see," one team official told La Canfora. "But this kid [Fields] looks special to me."

With the NFL holding an in-person draft this year, some of the top prospects have accepted an invitation to attend the event in Cleveland. 

Per the NFL communications department, Alabama teammates Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith and North Dakota State quarterback Trey Lance are among the first group of players to accept the league's invite:

Each of the 10 players who has accepted a draft invite are expected to be selected in the first round. 

Either Jones or Lance could end up being the first player from the group off the board. The Crimson Tide quarterback has frequently been connected to the San Francisco 49ers at No. 3 overall. 

Lance is a bit of a wild card simply because he only played one game last season before the Bison postponed their football schedule until the spring because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He's been mentioned as a possible option for the 49ers, but NFL.com's Daniel Jeremiah had him going No. 4 to the Atlanta Falcons in his most recent mock draft. 

Smith and LSU's Ja'Marr Chase, who will also be at the draft, will most likely be the top two wide receivers off the board in some order. The Cincinnati Bengals (No. 5 pick) and Miami Dolphins (No. 6) both have a need at the position. 

As of right now, Alabama will have the most representatives at the draft. Jones, Smith, cornerback Patrick Surtain II and defensive lineman Christian Barmore will all be in Cleveland. 

The 2021 NFL draft will take place from April 29-May 1 from various locations in downtown Cleveland, including FirstEnergy Stadium, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center.