49ers draft rumors: Is Mac Jones buzz all a smokescreen?

It appears as though the San Francisco 49ers traded up to No. 3 in the 2021 NFL Draft to select Mac Jones. But could all the buzz be a smokescreen?

With Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson all but certain to go off the board with the first two selections in the 2021 NFL Draft, the question became which quarterback the San Francisco 49ers traded three first-round picks to grab with the No. 3 pick. In the inital wake of the trade, the assumption was that it was either for Justin Fields or Trey Lance. But now it seems it may have been for Alabama quarterback Mac Jones.

Over the past week, the predominant narrative around the 49ers has become that head coach Kyle Shanahan prefers Jones to fit his system. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the pick will end up being Mac Jones. NFL.com draft expert Daniel Jeremiah has echoed that, having the 49ers selecting Jones in his latest mock draft. And our own Randy Gurzi did the same in his latest mock draft.

It stands to reason why Shanahan would like Jones. He doesn’t have the athletic or overall ceiling of players like Fields and Lance but he’s a faster processor, more accurate thrower and the readiest to play in the 49ers offense right now. But again, the ceiling is not the same as it is for his peers, which is why many consider him the fifth-best quarterback in the class.

Despite all of these reports, though, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reported that Shanahan (and possibly general manager John Lynch) will be in attendance for Fields throwing at another Pro Day on April 14.

Could the 49ers loving Mac Jones be a massive smokescreen?

Teams doing their due diligence at a position they plan to address in the draft isn’t out of the norm. So it is perfectly reasonable for Shanahan and Lynch to go get another look at Fields even if the plan is still to select Mac Jones with the No. 3 overall pick. Then again, there could be something else at play.

If the 49ers wanted to throw teams off the scent of them taking Fields or Lance with the third pick in the draft, they’ve done a tremendous job. Everyone is buying into the Jones-to-San-Francisco hype train and not looking back, partly because it would make sense schematically.

But if this were a smokescreen, it would also make sense. All signs point to the Niners keeping Jimmy Garoppolo around for the 2021 season, which would indicate they may not be looking for the most readymade player to start, one of the pluses on Jones’ resumé. Maybe they just want to bring any young quarterback along slowly, sure — or maybe that’s not who they’re taking.

All told, we won’t know with any kind of certainty who the 49ers are drafting with the No. 3 pick until the night of April 29 when they’ve turned in the card. But as everyone currently seems so sure that it’ll be Jones as QB3 off the board, there is reason for logical trepidation. After all, draft season and smokescreen season are one in the same.