New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick talks New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones and his previous pre-draft visit.
Coming into the 2019 NFL Draft, Daniel Jones was one of the top quarterbacks in a class that also included Kyler Murray and Dwayne Haskins. Not many thought that Jones would go as high as No. 6 overall, but there were numerous teams that showed interest.
One of these organizations is the New York Giants rookie quarterback’s next opponent, the New England Patriots.
Jones went on a pre-draft visit with New England before he visited the Giants organization. Leading up to the Week 6 Thursday Night Football matchup between those two teams, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick reflects on that very day with the Duke product.
“We had a great visit. He spent most of the day here, spent a lot of time with our offensive coaches: [offensive coordinator] Josh [McDaniels], [assistant quarterbacks coach] Mick Lombardi, guys that work with that position on the offensive side of the ball,” he said, per Art Stapleton of USA Today.
“We had a good visit, great conversation, kinda talked about a lot of things.”
Jones has received the chance to go up against the defenses of the Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccanneers, Washington Redskins, and Minnesota Vikings. However, this upcoming Patriots team will be the best defense he’ll face thus far. They lead the NFL with 238.4 yards allowed-per-game. Additionally, they’re No. 1 in points allowed-per-game with just 6.8.
Despite game-planning against Jones this week, Belichick has taken the time out to admit he’s fascinated by the young quarterback.
“He’s an impressive player and a very impressive person. We had a great visit,” Belichick said of Jones. “Playing quarterback in New York is not the easiest thing in the world, but he’s got a lot of maturity and a good head on his shoulders, has good perspective on football and overall leadership and the position that comes with that role on and off the field. I’m sure he’s done well and will continue to do well.”
Jones has completed 64.2% of his throws this year with 760 yards, four touchdowns, and three picks. He’ll most likely be without his top receiver this week, however. Sterling Shepard has returned to the concussion protocol for the second time in 2019.
The Patriots will play host to the Giants this Thursday night at 8:20 p.m. ET.