Patriots: Drew Brees calls Mac Jones ‘steal of the draft’

New England Patriots rookie Mac Jones continues to receive praise from legendary quarterbacks. This time, it’s from Drew Brees.

NFL teams made their final cuts of the preseason last week, and the New England Patriots sent shockwaves throughout the league by releasing quarterback Cam Newton. In turn, that paved the way to first-round pick Mac Jones to be named the Week 1 starter for New England’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

Thanks in part to his strong play throughout the preseason, Jones received some hefty praise from some legendary players. Not too long ago, Hall of Famer Kurt Warner provided some positive feedback on the former Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback.

The latest high-caliber signal caller to do so was Drew Brees, who called Jones “the steal of the draft.”

Drew Brees: Patriots rookie Mac Jones ‘steal of the draft’

"“So as I was watching the draft, the minute the Patriots took Mac Jones at 15th, I said, that’s the steal of the draft,” Brees said, via WEEI’s Ryan Hannable. “It’s probably the guy who is most ready to play NFL quarterback right now, of all the guys who were taken before. His level of execution last year at Alabama, and I know we can sit here and argue he’s got the best players on the field on his side, on both sides of the ball, but in watching the National Championship game, that’s where it became very evident to me.”Brees continued: “This guy’s level of execution, his understanding of offensive football, his timing, his rhythm, his ability not only to make the routine throws, but to make throws that you’re going to need to make at the next level in order to win games and take care of the football the way he did, I felt like he was the most NFL ready. For all those reasons, I think Mac Jones is going to have the most success of any rookie quarterback, not just this year but probably for the next few years.”"

Leading up to the first night of the 2021 NFL Draft, rumors had many believing that Jones would not make it to the 15th-overall pick, held by the Patriots. Said speculation had Jones being selected by the San Francisco 49ers, who surrendered massive draft capital to move up to the No. 3 spot.

Instead, they took North Dakota State’s Trey Lance. From there, Jones waited and watched the Chicago Bears move up to select Justin Fields before being taken off the board by New England for the No. 15 pick.

Jones is coming off a stellar junior year at Alabama, where he completed 77.4-percent of his passes for 4,500 yards, 41 yards and four interceptions.

The rookie will have some strong options to target in the passing game for his rookie season, such as Jonnu Smith, Nelson Agholor, Hunter Henry and Kendrick Bourne. Not to mention he gets to stand behind one of the better offensive lines in the NFL.

Jones has made a believer out of everyone in New England, especially since his jersey sold out at the Patriots Pro Shop on the day he was named starter. One of those believers is one of the best quarterbacks of all-time in Brees.