Former New England Patriots star Julian Edelman has been impressed with Mac Jones' play under Bill Belichick as of late. However, he knows the rookie still has a lot of things to work on and experience to be that quarterback who can take over like Tom Brady.

Speaking on the “Pardon My Take” show recently, Edelman shared that he wants to see Jones experience some adversity and then step up for the Patriots when it matters most. For the three-time Super Bowl champion, the Patriots youngster needs to develop more toughness to truly elevate himself to that level of elite QBs.

“You wanna see the toughness of a guy,” Edelman said, per The Spun. “We’re seeing how he can take in the offense and he can be an efficient quarterback. There’s gonna be times where it’s not always sunny. They’re going on a four-game winning streak … I wanna see him, that last bit to see if he’s their guy—and he’s their guy—but I wanna see something go wrong. And I wanna see the man he is in an adverse situation.”

Julian Edelman then went on to share his experience with Tom Brady and how he saw the legendary QB shift his focus and increase his concentration when the Patriots' backs were on the wall. With that, he wants Mac Jones to reach the same level where he can be “THE GUY” for New England.

“Like, that’s when you see your best leaders. That’s when the Tom Bradys … when he goes out, in any situation when we were down a certain amount of points, you saw a laser focus in his eyes. And I wanna see it (from Jones). Everything looks great right now. He looks like a really good quarterback. He’s taking in the offense. He plays on time,” Edelman added.

The Patriots are 7-4 on the season, winning their last five games behind Jones' huge plays. In that span, the 23 year old has made 95-of-138 passes (68.84 percent completion rate) en route to 1068 yards and seven touchdowns–all while committing just two interceptions.

New England remains on top of the AFC East, though the Buffalo Bills are not too far behind at 6-4.

It remains to be seen if Jones can live up to Edelman's challenge, but if there is one thing he has proven time and time again, he is not one to back down.