NFL QB Rankings: Where's Patriots Mac Jones?

Former Patriots assistant coach Chris Simms ranks New England's second-year quarterback in the middle of the pack.

FOXBORO - Every year, former NFL quarterback (and for a brief time, former Patriots assistant coach) Chris Simms places each gunslinger in the league in a hierarchy among their peers.

People hate these types of lists because their favorite players are not ranked as high as they had hoped. Patriots fans will likely have a similar reaction when they see where Mac Jones sits on Simms’ 2022 list.

As he enters his second pro season, the former Alabama signal caller finds himself the 18th-best quarterback. While Jones’ did not have a jaw-dropping statistical first year, he did open some eyes of those who doubted him by throwing for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Simms gave the following on Jones on a recent episode of his podcast, “Chris Simms Unbuttoned”:

“At no point did we think they [the Patriots] were that great at receiver or explosive at any of those positions to go ‘Oh wow, this is a really well-oiled, explosive offense.’ Their running game had moments. I mean, come on. Mac Jones as a rookie, they f—ing put everything on him. It was as much pressure as far as a system and a team and a city and a fanbase can be on a quarterback. [He’s] maybe the best rookie decision-maker that I’ve ever seen.”

While Jones may not have been a top 10 quarterback last season, finding himself in the middle of the pack feels a bit off-putting, based on who is near him in the rankings.

Just one spot above him is Baker Mayfield, who is now with the Carolina Panthers after his old team traded a boatload of draft capital to acquire Deshaun Watson this past offseason. And just below Jones is new/old Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz.

Jones is primed to surpass his first season by fans and analysts. The Patriots maintained almost the same offensive corps to help their quarterback settle into his second full year as a pro. The team also spent seven draft picks on players on the offensive side of the ball, the most in the Bill Belichick era. That shows the team’s hope to build around their young star.

Simms’ countdown rankings of the NFL's top 40 quarterbacks:

40. Drew Lock, Seattle Seahawks

39. Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Steelers

38. Teddy Bridgewater, Miami Dolphins

37. Gardner Minshew II, Philadephia Eagles

36. Tyrod Taylor, New York Giants

35. Davis Mills, Houston Texans

34. Tyler Huntley, Baltimore Ravens

33. Geno Smith, Seattle Seahawks

32. Sam Darnold, Carolina Panthers

31. Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

30. Jared Goff, Detroit Lions

29. Tua Tagovailoa, Miami Dolphins

28. Marcus Mariota, Atlanta Falcons

27. Mitchell Trubisky, Pittsburgh Steelers

26. Jameis Winston, New Orleans Saints

25. Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles

24. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

23. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

22. Zach Wilson, New York Jets

21. Daniel Jones, New York Giants

20. Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers

19. Carson Wentz, Washington Commanders

18. Mac Jones, New England Patriots

17. Baker Mayfield, Cleveland Browns

16. Kirk Cousins, Minnesota Vikings

15. Ryan Tannehill, Tennessee Titans

14. Matt Ryan, Indianapolis Colts

13. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns

12. Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals

11. Derek Carr, Las Vegas Raiders

10. Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens

9. Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys