Mac Jones has fully adapted to the NFL lifestyle in his rookie year, leading the New England Patriots to an impressive 7-4 start. For a franchise who was looking to find the heir to Tom Brady's throne, Jones is looking the part so far.
Even his Patriots teammates are noticing how easily he's bought into what the Patriots are looking to build at Foxborough, including one of the longest-tenured players on the roster, special teams star Matthew Slater:
“This kid is very serious about what he’s doing. He spends more time in this building than a lot of guys I can ever remember here,” Slater said Mike Reiss of ESPN. “I can’t believe how quickly he’s developed, as far as his understanding of the things we’re trying to do here — and that’s not just offensively. I’m talking about overall culture.”
On the field, the Patriots signal-caller has completed 245 of 349 passes for an impressive 70.2% completion rate and 14 touchdowns. He's led New England to five straight victories and is proving to be a very good quarterback in this league. But as Slater said, the ex-Alabama standout is also putting in serious work when it comes to becoming a leader, learning plays, and simply just soaking up all the knowledge he can from the people around him, whether it's players or coaches.
A bright future ahead for the Patriots youngster.