Don't lock in Mac Jones to 49ers just yet originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
After confidently stating the 49ers were set to draft Mac Jones with the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft, Adam Schefter is starting to walk back his previous certainty.
“I think they have an open mind right now,” Schefter said on the latest episode of the 49ers Talk podcast. “I think that they go into this looking at the three quarterbacks that’ll be there. They’re obviously going to watch Justin Fields work out again. I think they have a high opinion of Trey Lance and I think they have a high opinion of Mac Jones. So I think they like all three.
“I think all the quarterbacks bring different elements to the table. I think Trey Lance has a big ceiling. Justin Fields has a big ceiling. Mac Jones might not have the same ceiling, but again, he has different attributes. That’s up to them to make that decision and to ultimately decide. But again, I still think they have to come to their final decision. I think they have three weeks to do that.
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“Now if you’re asking me today who I would guess, I would guess Mac Jones today. But we’re also three weeks away from the draft. There’s going to be a lot of meetings. There’s going to be a lot of discussions. They’re going to be attending workouts. So, what happens between now and then? I don’t know. We’ll see. We’ll find out what enters their thought process, what gets brought up in discussion, and factors push them, ultimately, to the quarterback that they decide to take.”
Part of the due diligence for the 49ers will be attending Fields’ second Pro Day on April 14. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch missed Fields’ first Pro Day, opting to head to Tuscaloosa to watch Mac Jones instead. Schefter believes that if everything goes well for Fields during his second Pro Day, the narrative could change about who San Francisco picks at No. 3.
“When you’ve got the third pick, you’ve got to make sure you do as much work as possible to see every possible option. For all we know, Justin Fields is going to blow them away, light it up (at his Pro Day), they’re going to have great meetings, they’re going to hit it off, and they’re going to fall for that guy, that day. That could happen.”
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