Todd McShay reveals which quarterback could be this years's Mac Jones

Mac Jones joined the Patriots, and in his first season he took New England to the playoffs. Now, ready-made NFL teams will be looking for a quarterback that can do the same in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Evidently, ESPN’s Todd McShay believes there’s one quarterback who can be this year’s version of Mac Jones.

“I’ll go with Kenny Pickett,” McShay stated, revealed which quarterback could jump into the top ten of the NFL Draft, on Get Up. “For two reasons. First of all, a couple team jump out, there in a little bit of a win-now mode. Carolina Panthers at No. 6, because of Matt Rhule. The clock is ticking. Then Denver at No. 9. They have a pretty good team around the quarterback position, they need an upgrade.

“Malik Willis, as I said, is a project coming out of Liberty. Kenny Pickett, with fifty starts, processing as quickly as he does — he could have, if put in the right situation, a Mac Jones type of rookie year,” stated McShay. “He’s just NFL ready. He doesn’t have the biggest arm like Malik Willis, he doesn’t have elite mobility, although he can maneuver around the pocket. But to me, Pickett makes sense, because a couple of those teams — Carolina at No. 6, Denver at No. 9 — could be looking to plus someone in, and play them right away.”

Moreover, the experienced Pickett is one of the more fascinating prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft. As McShay mentions, his immense experience could help a franchise find immediate success.

It’s question of whether teams value experience or potential, and how much they believe in the former Pittsburgh star.

More on Kenny Pickett, Pittsburgh Panthers

Furthermore, Pittsburgh Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett is viewed as one of the top quarterbacks available in the 2022 NFL Draft. One of Pickett’s biggest downfalls in terms of his draft stock is his smaller hand size. ESPN NFL Draft expert weighs in on Pickett’s hands, saying that the Senior Bowl week did him no favors when the weather got bad on Wednesday.

“Overall I thought he had a solid week,” Todd McShay said of Pickett at the Senior Bowl. “It definitely isn’t his best format. He’s got some mobility, but he’s not Malik Willis. He doesn’t have the big time arm. And the small hands really did show up on Wednesday. So if that was a concern for you as a scout or general manager coming into the week, it certainly didn’t help.

“I even go back to the North Carolina game this year. The second half when the rain and the wind started to creep in, look at what happened to Kenny Pickett and the Pittsburgh offense.”

Regardless of hand size, Pickett had a huge season for Pittsburgh this year. He completed 67.2 percent of his passes, throwing for 4,319 yards with 42 touchdowns and seven interceptions, adding five rushing touchdowns. Pickett was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, and also set many Pitt and ACC records while doing so.