The Mac Jones to the San Francisco 49ers buzz continues to get louder. There was plenty of hubbub about the 49ers going to see Jones' Pro Day on Tuesday instead of Justin Fields, and 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan gave some insight into the team's 2021 NFL Draft strategy on Monday.
Shanahan explained that seeing Jones on Tuesday won't keep them from seeing Fields another day:
https://twitter.com/dieter/status/1376619332818460676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1376619332818460676%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fclutchpoints.com%2Fwp-admin%2Fpost.php%3Fpost%3D1054862action%3Dedit
The 49ers coach also explained why he didn't go see Trey Lance or Zach Wilson throw at their Pro Days:
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan asked on going to Alabama Pro Day tomorrow, and not North Dakota State or BYU, says it was important for the team not to tip its hand before the trade was done.
"Now that you're up at 3, you don't have to hide as much."
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 29, 2021
It should probably be said Shanahan is alluding to the 49ers not wanting other teams to be readily aware they were trying to move up way up the board before their blockbuster trade was done.
Either way, there appears to be a growing amount of buzz regarding the potential for the 49ers to make Jones the third overall pick.
Article Continues BelowChris Simms of NBC Sports suggested Jones could be an ideal fit for Shanahan's system in San Francisco:
Kyle Shanahan gets the most out of QBs who trust his system and make the right reads:
Matt Schaub 2009 passing champ
Kirk Cousins w Wash
Matt Ryan 2016 MVPMac Jones is an ideal QB for that mold, more on par with Ryan
— Chris Simms (@CSimmsQB) March 29, 2021
That notion of “playing within the offense” is exactly what Jones himself said he will bring to the table as he prepares to embark on his NFL career:
“What separates me is my preparation and my ability to take what I learn from the coaches’ meetings and my meetings and then apply it to the field,” Jones said during a Monday video news conference, via Matt Barrows of The Athletic. “I’m going to do exactly what the coach tells me to do. I’m going to play within the framework of the offense.”
Shanahan and his staff will have the chance to evaluate Jones on a more personal level, just as they will with Fields.
Whether Jones shows enough to convince Shanahan he can be the 49ers quarterback of the future remains to be seen. But the match seems to make sense.