Mac Jones

Justin Fields remained the second-ranked quarterback on Mel Kiper Jr.'s big board, but he has company.

In the ESPN expert's latest 2021 draft rankings, he dropped Fields to No. 7 from No. 3, while BYU's Zach Wilson rose to No. 8 from No. 14. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence, the overwhelming favorite to be the top pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, remained Kiper's No. 1 prospect.

Kiper noted that Fields needs to improve at going through his progressions, but he remains bullish on the Ohio State product. Fields threw for 2,100 yards and 22 touchdowns against six interceptions during an abbreviated 2020 season, leading the Buckeyes to the national championship game.

Fields had marked struggles on the national stage, however, most notably against Alabama in that title tilt and Northwestern in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Wilson flourished during his junior season to become perhaps the fastest-rising player in the nation, throwing for 3,692 yards and 33 touchdowns against three interceptions while adding 254 yards and 10 scores on the ground.

The beginning of the first round is expected to be among the most quarterback-heavy in history, with perhaps five players being selected inside the top 15.

Alabama quarterback Mac Jones will not play in the Senior Bowl on Saturday after he tweaked his ankle earlier this week in practice.

According to ESPN's Field Yates, the injury is "nothing major at all."

Jones finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting and led the Crimson Tide to an undefeated record and national championship in 2020. As a result, he is a strong candidate to come off the board in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.

While Jones had big shoes to fill as the replacement for former Alabama and current Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, he turned in one of the greatest passing seasons in Crimson Tide history.

Jones completed a remarkable 77.4 percent of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also played a huge role in wide receiver DeVonta Smith's Heisman win.

While Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence is considered the clear top quarterback and overall prospect in the draft, as many as five quarterbacks could be taken in the first round of the 2021 draft.

Jones is part of that group along with Ohio State's Justin Fields, BYU's Zach Wilson and North Dakota State's Trey Lance.

He is also one of nine Alabama players who could go in the first round of the draft. That includes Smith, wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, running back Najee Harris, cornerback Patrick Surtain II, defensive tackle Christian Barmore, linebacker Dylan Moses and offensive linemen Alex Leatherwood and Deonte Brown.

Although Jones would have been the highest-profile player in the Senior Bowl given his success in 2020, there will be no shortage of star power.

Among those expected to play are Harris, Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, Florida quarterback Kyle Trask and Florida wide receiver Kadarius Toney.

With Deshaun Watson reportedly making it clear he wants to play for a new team in 2021, the Houston Texans are doing their due diligence with quarterbacks in this year's NFL draft. 

Per NFL.com's Chase Goodbread, Alabama star Mac Jones said he met with members of the Texans organization after Thursday's Senior Bowl practice.

"They were a good group of scouts. It's a big football state and I grew up watching a lot of Jags-Texans games," he said. "It's a good organization with a really good quarterback. ... It was fun to see how different tables act. (Clubs at) some tables, people ask a lot of hard questions, and some don't."

ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Thursday that Watson officially requested a trade from the Texans "weeks ago," and their hiring of head coach David Culley has no impact on his desire to leave the organization. 

Just because Watson has requested a trade doesn't mean the Texans have to move him, but it could make an already difficult situation even worse if he is still on the team when training camp opens. 

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Watson was "extremely unhappy with the organization after owner Cal McNair informed him he would be involved in the GM and coach hiring process and provide feedback...but then did neither in the hire of GM Nick Caserio, sources say."

Trading Watson would shape the direction of Houston's franchise in the short- and long-term. The team would need to find a new starting quarterback, but it doesn't currently have a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL draft. 

ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. projects Jones to go No. 15 overall to the New England Patriots in his first mock draft released this week.  

Jones, 22, finished third in Heisman voting after throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns with a 77.4 completion percentage to help the Crimson Tide win the College Football Playoff Championship. 

Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock has five quarterbacks—yes, five—going in the top 15 of April's NFL draft.

The ESPN guru released his latest outlook Tuesday, which features Trevor Lawrence still entrenched at the No. 1 spot and heading to the Jacksonville Jaguars. While the rest of the first round remains up in the air after Lawrence, it didn't take long for his fellow signal-callers to come off the board.

BYU's Zach Wilson went No. 4 to the Atlanta Falcons, Ohio State's Justin Fields went three picks later to the Detroit Lions, and North Dakota State's Trey Lance went right after Fields at No. 8 to the Carolina Panthers. The New England Patriots rounded out the quarterback run at No. 15, taking Alabama's Mac Jones.

The Falcons and Lions both have longtime, veteran starting quarterbacks who may head elsewhere this offseason. 

Matthew Stafford and the Lions have already mutually agreed to part ways, with the team actively shopping the 2009 No. 1 overall pick ahead of the draft. It's possible the Lions will pick up an additional first-round selection in exchange for Stafford—one they could use to trade up and pick his replacement.

Fields would give the Lions a running dynamic they never had with Stafford. The Ohio State product may be able to use his legs to help alleviate team's offensive line woes and breathe life into a dormant running game. Detroit has not had a 1,000-yard rusher since 2013. 

Matt Ryan's future in Atlanta is murkier. It seems likely, given the cap implications of moving on that he will be the Falcons' starter in 2021. A divorce becomes far more feasible in the 2022 offseason—when the team could get out of his deal for between a dead-cap hit of $17 million and $27 million, per Spotrac—but it's possible that this will be the Atlanta's best opportunity to select his long-term replacement.

New Falcons coach Arthur Smith spent the last two seasons reviving Ryan Tannehill's career in Tennessee, so the team's direction at No. 4 may depend on his vision.

Wilson, who is a capable runner and can make every NFL throw, could be developed into a superior version of Tannehill. Given the lofty comparisons Wilson has been getting, Tannehill may even be selling him short.  

Teddy Bridgewater had a solid-but-unspectacular first season as the Panthers starter, and it'll be interesting to see if coach Matt Rhule wants to run it back or make a long-term investment at the position. Lance will draw concerns for his lack of college competition and the fact he did not play in the 2020 season, but he has all the tools of a modern quarterback.

The Patriots will be looking for a replacement for Cam Newton, but it's unclear if Jones is a fit. Given the team's veteran-laden roster, the Patriots may opt to trade for a more established quarterback this offseason. 

Even with several quarterbacks predicted to go ahead of Alabama signal-caller Mac Jones in the NFL draft, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. thinks there's still a chance Jones ends up a top-10 pick. 

Kiper suggested that teams could trade up for a quarterback, while noting that the Detroit Lions (No. 7), Carolina Panthers (No. 8) and Denver Broncos (No. 9) are all in need of someone under center.

"If he shows off his tremendous accuracy at all levels, proves that he has the arm strength and steps up with different receivers—he is going to be out of his Crimson Tide comfort zone—I could see him locking in his spot as the fourth quarterback in this class," Kiper wrote.

While it has long been projected that Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence will go to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 1 pick, Ohio State's Justin Fields and BYU's Zach Wilson are also expected to be top selections this spring. 

Jones was honored last week with the 2020 Manning Award, given to the best quarterback in college football. After taking over the Crimson Tide offense in 2019, Jones stepped up for his first season as Alabama's starter and led them through a perfect 13-0 season that ended with a 52-24 defeat of Ohio State in the national championship.

He posted a 77.4 completion percentage, throwing for 4,500 yards and 41 touchdowns while being picked off just four times. He had five games of more than 400 yards. His meteoric rise to the top echelon of college football was noticed by Kiper, who did not have Jones ranked in his top 10 quarterbacks at the start of the season but tabbed him fourth when he declared for the draft, per ESPN's Alex Scarborough.

Jones is one of four Alabama players who are leaving the program early to head to the NFL. Wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, defensive lineman Christian Barmore and defensive back Patrick Surtain will be doing the same, while seniors Najee Harris and DeVonta Smith—the Heisman Trophy winner—make up six possible first-round selections.

Alabama's Mac Jones was announced Tuesday as the winner of the 2020 Manning Award as the top quarterback in college football after leading the Crimson Tide to the national championship.

The Allstate Sugar Bowl, which hands out the honor, released a statement from Archie Manning. He is one of the award's voters along with his sons, Peyton and Eli, and media members. The elder Manning said:

"It was quite a year for Mac Jones and the Alabama football team. We had a lot of outstanding quarterbacks around the country, but I don't think any player directed his offense as efficiently and as effectively as Mac. The Crimson Tide's performance all year was so impressive; and seeing them roll to wins in the Rose Bowl and the CFP Championship really showed what an amazing team they have put together. And a lot of credit for that goes to Mac, who bided his time before taking over and showing the country what he could do."

Jones inherited the Tide offense late in 2019 after an injury to Tua Tagovailoa, and that experience helped him hit the ground running in his first full year as the starter.

The 22-year-old completed a staggering 77.4 percent of his throws for 4,500 yards with 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading Bama to a perfect 13-0 season, which finished last week with a 52-24 victory over Ohio State in the national title game.

Jones threw for over 400 yards in five games, including the College Football Playoff championship game, and only had one game without a touchdown—a 52-3 blowout of Arkansas in December.

The Manning Award is merely his latest honor to cap a terrific junior season. He also won the Davey O'Brien Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. The Florida native was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, finishing third. 

"I think we're the best team to ever play," Jones told reporters after the Tide's win over the Buckeyes to finish the undefeated campaign. "There's no team that will ever play an SEC schedule like that again."

Jones, a first-team All-SEC selection, has since declared for the 2021 NFL draft.

Past winners of the Manning Award, which was established in 2004 to honor the three Mannings, make up a who's who of college football quarterbacks during the current millennium. The list includes Vince Young, Tim Tebow, Johnny Manziel, Joe Burrow and Deshaun Watson, the only two-time recipient.