In early October of last year, I posted my scouting report on BYU Quarterback Zach Wilson, which can be seen below. This report was written based on three games at the beginning of the 2020 season and two of his 2019 games, so obviously this was all written before his stock went through the roof and he is being considered one of the top prospects in the 2021 draft at any position. Lately, even though it may seem a bit crazy, but I have been having thoughts of him as my number 1 QB in the draft, even over Trevor Lawrence (I was discouraged by what I saw at the Clemson pro day), but Wilson is for sure a top 3 QB, and his draft position will be based on what the HC and OC like more in their franchise QB.
You will see below in my conclusion to the report that I said “Zach Wilson is on his way to becoming the best QB prospect in the nation. He is your prototypical new age QB, who can beat you with his fantastic accuracy or his legs.” This still holds true and he only got better as the season went on in 2020. My major concern with him was lack of competition that he faced, and that is a fair argument, however he dominated all season long, with his only hiccup coming on the short week against Costal Carolina, which in that game he didn’t play bad terribly, but wasn’t up to his performances throughout the rest of the 2020 season. Wilson will still step in on day 1 to any franchise and will be able to compete for a starting spot as he does it all. He has a strong arm, he has great accuracy, he can run the read option, he goes through his reads, he simply does it all.
To conclude the re-evaluation of Zach Wilson, I have Wilson as my number 2 QB in the 2021 NFL draft, and as I alluded to above, I could argue why he is better than Trevor Lawrence. In my mock draft I have Wilson going at number 2 overall to the New York Jets. He will replace Sam Darnold, and should be long term QB that the Jets have been craving since before Mark Sanchez.
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Today we are focusing on Zach Wilson from BYU as a prospect for the 2021 NFL Draft. Wilson is a 6’3″ 210lbs, junior Quarterback who is getting a lot of hype right now due to his excellent play thus far in 2020. Some people are saying Wilson is the top QB in all of college football right now, I don’t know how they forgot about Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields, but he his definitely on the right path to be a starter on Sundays. The film I watched to scout Wilson was @Navy (2020), @Troy (2020), @ LA Tech (2020) vs. USC (2019), and @Tenn. (2019).
Pros:
Wilson does a great job of beating defense with both his athletic ability and his his arm. He has a great throwing motion with a quick release which allows him to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers on screens and RPOs. He is an extremely accurate passer than can make any throw you need him to with great accuracy. Wilson has the ability to place the ball where only his Receiver can make a play on it, and he does this by putting the perfect loft touch on his passes or throwing a bullet threw a tight window. He reads the game well and that helps him have such a high completion percentage. Wilson is also a threat to beat you with his legs. He runs the read option well and the defense needs to account for him as a ball carrier on every play. He is extremely dedicated to the game and does everything he can to win.
Cons:
Wilson doesn’t have many glaring weaknesses and the ones he did have in 2019 he has fixed over the offseason while working with QB Guru John Beck. The main knock with him as a passer would be his arm strength. It is not elite, but with no question you can make any throw you need him to. He occasionally doesn’t slide when scrambling when he should which could lead to future injuries. The main question mark I have for Wilson is his ability vs stronger competition. He did beat Tenn. and USC in 2019 but also lost to ranked Washington and Utah, so his performance vs big programs is inconsistent.
Bottom Line:
Bottom Line is Zach Wilson is on his way to becoming the best QB prospect in the nation. He is your prototypical new age QB, who can beat you with his fantastic accuracy or his legs. Wilson can make all the passes you need him to even though he lacks elite arm strength. He has great touch on his passes and does a fantastic job at placing the ball in spots only his Receivers can get it. He has good zip on his ball which allows him to fit it through tight windows or get it to his playmakers on short routes. He has enough speed and athletic ability to make defenses pay for not accounting for him as a runner, and has the agility to make a defender miss in the open field. He is smart, hard working and competitive. His dedication to his craft will pay off for him when he decides to declare for the Draft. There are question marks about his strength of schedule, but I don’t have a question he will be able to develop into a NFL starter. I gave him a grade of 6.8 which translates to a 3rd round talent, however, with the way the NFL values QBs, he could be drafted in the first round, and at least in the 2nd unless his season takes a turn for the worst.
