The New England Patriots seemingly landed their next franchise quarterback in Mac Jones with the 15th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Jones played admirably in his first professional season, outperforming the four QBs taken ahead of him in Round 1 — Trevor Lawrence (No. 1), Zach Wilson (No. 2), Trey Lance (No. 3) and Justin Fields (No. 11) — en route to finishing second in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting behind Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase.
But was Jones’ selection the product of savvy drafting by the Patriots or luck?