Draft expert Todd McShay claims Patriots’ 2021 class might be their best ever

The Patriots’ 2021 draft class had an impressive preseason.

Fourth-round running back Rhamondre Stevenson led the league in rushing. Second-round defensive tackle Christian Barmore showed flashes of being able to contribute right away.

And, of course, first-round quarterback Mac Jones played well enough to win the starting job over Cam Newton.

Even though the group’s yet to play in a preseason game, that isn’t stopping ESPN draft expert Todd McShay from making a bold claim about the Patriots’ rookies.

“They’ve been up and down with draft picks over the years, and this might be the best class they’ve ever had,” McShay told ESPN’s Mike Reiss.

Looking back at the Patriots’ recent draft classes, the 2021 draft class doesn’t have a high bar to clear. From their 2020 draft class, second-round picks Kyle Dugger and Josh Uche along with sixth-round pick Michael Onwenu brought in noticeable contributions.

The 2019 draft class, headlined by the disappointing first-round pick of N’Keal Harry, has only seen decent production from third-round picks Damien Harris and Chase Winovich. Going further back, the Patriots’ first-round picks in recent years have been so underwhelming that they haven’t signed one to a second contract since Dont’a Hightower, who was a first-round pick in 2012.

So, with Jones already performing well enough to win the starting quarterback job as a rookie, it makes sense as to why McShay would think that way about the Patriots’ rookies.

“To get a starting quarterback at 15, you rarely get that,” McShay said.

Jones’s play reminds McShay of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 draft.

“It was only one year [as a starter] instead of two years [like Burrow], and he’s not as mobile as Joe,” McShay said, “but it’s the same kind of pocket presence and ability to feel where the rush is coming from. And the accuracy and toughness — mental and physical. He’s a special cat, he really is.”

If Jones has a similar rookie season to Burrow’s, Patriots fans might have a reason to be excited. Burrow completed 65.3% of his passes for 2,688 yards with 13 touchdowns to five interceptions in 10 games before tearing his ACL and MCL. While Burrow’s record wasn’t great (2-7-1), he was inserted onto the worst team in football — something Jones doesn’t have to deal with.

Over three preseason games, Jones completed 36-of-52 passes (69.2%) for 388 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Even though Jones only had one touchdown in the preseason, he helped the Patriots get on the board often. New England scored in eight of the 16 drives that Jones was the quarterback for during the preseason.

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