Comparing Mac Jones to the other first-round rookie quarterbacks after Week 6

Bill Belichick has done a lot of things in his storied career as a coach, but it took him until his 22nd offseason with the New England Patriots to finally select a quarterback in the first round of the NFL Draft. That quarterback was Alabama’s Mac Jones, who was picked 15th overall and went on to beat out incumbent Cam Newton over the course of training camp.

Now six games into his professional career and tenure as the Patriots’ starter, let’s take a look at how he compares to the four men he will forever be linked to: the other four quarterbacks selected in the first round this year.

First, a look at how Jones performed in Week 6 relative to Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars), Zach Wilson (New York Jets), Trey Lance (San Francisco 49ers) and Justin Fields (Chicago Bears). Then, a season-long look at the five youngsters.

First-round rookie quarterbacks in Week 6

In Week 6, the five passers selected in the first round performed as follows:

With the 49ers and Jets both on a bye, only three of the five first-round quarterbacks saw action in Week 6. Among them, Lawrence was the only one to lead his team to victory.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (Pick No. 1): The Jaguars beat the Miami Dolphins in London, with the first overall selection of this year’s draft playing a solid overall game. While his numbers as a whole do not stand out, Lawrence was able to finish a game with a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio for the first time. The Clemson product did lose a fumble, but all in all had one of the better games of his career — all while helping the Jaguars snap their 20-game losing streak.

Justin Fields, Bears (Pick No. 11): Starting his fourth game in a row, Fields again had some ups and downs. The 11th overall selection in April threw some tremendous passes and repeatedly showcased his talent. However, his decision making and processing speed remains a work in progress at the NFL level. Statistically, he had an OK game — 59.3 percent completions for 174 with a touchdown and interception each — but Fields and the Chicago passing attack were not good enough to challenge the Green Bay Packers in a 24-14 loss.

Mac Jones, Patriots (Pick No. 15): Last but certainly not least, the Patriots’ first-round pick. Going up against one of the best teams in the league, Jones had a solid overall outing that should rank among his best of the season so far. While two turnovers hurt his final stat-line — he fumbled after a second-quarter sack and threw a pick-six in the fourth period — he also had New England in the lead with two minutes left to go. Unfortunately, however, Jones and company failed to drive into scoring range in overtime before eventually losing 35-29 to the Dallas Cowboys.

From a performance perspective, Jones and Lawrence probably had the best day of the bunch. One could give the edge to the Jaguars QB, though, given that his team actually won.

First-round rookie quarterbacks all season long

Six weeks into the season, here is how the five QBs drafted on Day 1 this year have performed:

All five first-round quarterback have seen significant action so far this season; each one of them has started at least one game for his respective team over the first six weeks. Lawrence, Wilson and Jones all served as Day 1 starters, with Fields officially taking the Bears’ job in Week 5. Only Lance is still playing second fiddle at the moment.

Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars (Pick No. 1): Leading the group with 391 snaps and 216 pass attempts, Lawrence has received plenty of action through six weeks. He has not always been up to the challenge but appears to have settled down over the last three games.

Zach Wilson, New York Jets (Pick No. 2): The Jets’ franchise quarterback is off to a rough start. Throwing at least one interception in each of his games this season, Wilson has actively contributed to the team’s 1-4 start. He has had his moments, but they are few and far between.

Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers (Pick No. 3): The number two behind ex-Patriot Jimmy Garoppolo, Lance did start the 49ers’ last game before their bye. The game was a struggle, but the sample size — 65 snaps that day, 111 overall — is far too small to make any definitive statements about his outlook for the rest of the season yet.

Justin Fields, Bears (Pick No. 11): Originally the number two quarterback in Chicago, Fields has seized the opportunity that presented itself when starter Andy Dalton went down with a knee injury. Since then, he has started four games that can best be described as “inconsistent.”

Mac Jones, Patriots (Pick No. 15): Jones has started all six of the Patriots’ games since beating out Cam Newton and has played 100 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. Along the way, he has had the ups and downs and that had to be expected. That said, the arrow is pointing in the right direction.

Six weeks in, it is hard not to name Mac Jones as the best of the five first-round rookie quarterbacks this year. While New England is sitting at just 2-4 at the moment, its young QB has played some encouraging football and is looking like a legitimate future face of the franchise.