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Mac Jones ‘is going to be the best QB out of this draft’ per Super Bowl champion, Shaquil Barrett

Mac Jones throws a pass in Iron Bowl versus Auburn
Mandatory Credit: Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via USA TODAY Sports

Mac Jones is already garnering respect from veterans in the pros.

National media has criticized him, but one elite pass rusher had high praise for him. After the New England Patriots selected Jones at No. 15 overall on Thursday night, Shaquil Barrett said the former Alabama standout is ‘going to be the best quarterback out of the draft.’ Jones was one of five signal-callers taken, joining Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, and Justin Fields.

Barrett, 28, will enter his seventh NFL season in the fall. He has spent the last two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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He totaled eight sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles in 2020. Barrett helped Tom Brady deliver the Bucs to a Super Bowl Championship. The 6-foot-2, 250-pound linebacker knows a special quarterback when he sees it. Jones has been compared to Brady throughout the draft process. The stories of both players are similar, and now Jones is with Bill Belichick.

Barrett has 41.5 sacks in his career. He has Jones as his best quarterback from this draft.

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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine.  You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.

Stephen Smith is a 2015 graduate of the University of Alabama. He is a senior writer and reporter for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. He has covered Alabama football for 15 years and his knowledge and coverage of the Crimson Tide's program have made him among the most respected journalist in his field. Smith has been featured on ESPN and several other marquee outlets as an analyst.

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