Patriots TE Jonnu Smith: QB Mac Jones has 'so much dog in him'

Scott Zolak of Boston's 98.5 The Sports Hub got New England Patriots fans excited when he reported last week that "two personnel people, one player" within the franchise had told him that quarterback and 2021 rookie Mac Jones had "one hell of a spring" during workouts and was reminding people of none other than seven-time Super Bowl champion signal-caller Tom Brady. 

A teammate has now offered some high praise of the 23-year-old ahead of July. 

Per Kevin Patra of the league's website, Patriots tight end Jonnu Smith spoke about Jones during a Monday appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football."

"Honestly, man, just the way he can turn it on," Smith said of the club's offensive CEO. "Mac is definitely one of the most goofiest guys in the locker room, to be honest, man. But when he steps on that field, he's a different character. He's just got so much ability and so much dog in him. Once he flips that switch, he's a whole different character. Some guys don't know how to cut that on and cut that off when it's time to do it. He's so young. He's poised. He's got a little swagger to him, man. I'm glad he's throwing us passes. That's my guy."

Patriots owner Robert Kraft generated some headlines when he said back in March that "this year will be very telling" regarding Jones' development after the quarterback ended his rookie season with 3,801 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, a 92.5 passer rating and a 50.9 total QBR. Smith added that he's "confident" New England will achieve success ahead of training camp and that he believes the upcoming campaign is "going to be something amazing to look forward to." 

Smith logged 28 catches for 294 yards and a touchdown playing alongside Jones last season.