Jets Country

Did Jets Make Mistake Drafting Zach Wilson Instead of Bears' Justin Fields?

New York's quarterback is struggling while Fields continues to blossom with the Bears this season.

Daniel Kelly

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Justin Fields and Zach Wilson are both in their second seasons.

Both quarterbacks were taken in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Wilson, out of BYU, was taken first (No.2 overall by the Jets) and Fields, out of Ohio State, went No. 11 (Bears).

As a former Pro Scout with the Jets, Fields was my documented pre-draft QB1 while I gave Wilson a third-round grade and said there was extremely high probability he would be a bust.

I was the only one in the country saying anything remotely like this about Wilson. I even went as far as to say in my pre-draft scouting report that he would get people fired wherever he ended up, if he was taken in the first-round.

As it has played out, Fields has taken a big step forward for Chicago (3-8) in 2022, while Wilson has recently been spiraling out of control at the helm of the Jets (6-4).

While their team's records would say otherwise, Fields and Wilson are headed in two different directions on game film.

I went back and studied Fields in his last three games against MIA (11/6), DET (11/13) and ATL (11/20) and while his ball placement, like Wilson's, is erratic at all three route levels, his overall game is superior.

Fields looks like he is in full command of Chicago's offensive attack. It looks smooth and it looks fluid watching him lead it.

The same can't be said for Wilson on the Jets.

Fields additionally is able to extend and create plays more successfully than Wilson.

He can also push the ball into the intermediate to deep route levels better than the Jets' signal caller.

The thing that really sets Fields apart are his wheels (2022: 834 yards rushing).

Fields has shown himself to be an elite runner this season. During the Dolphins' game the television announcer said he had been clocked at 21 MPH. Fields is faster than rush hour traffic in New York, while Wilson looks like he is trying to run for his life.

Last season, Wilson's best moments were when he was able to create something out of nothing, but this season he's not having much luck even with the off-script stuff.

The announcer went on to say that the Defensive Coordinator of the Dolphins said in preparation for their game against the Bears, that the biggest thing he noticed was a couple weeks prior to that contest Fields was starting to do a lot more designed runs, not just runs to get out of trouble.

It shows.

To put the kind of breakout season Fields is having into perspective, he is now the fifth-leading rusher in the NFL, ahead of several premiere running backs in the game.

To put Fields further into perspective, he has more rushing yards than Baltimore's quarterback, Lamar Jackson (2022: 666 rushing yards).

Fields is ripping up the field (no pun intended) and according to Pro Football Focus he is on pace for 1,288 yards this season, which would break the NFL's QB rushing record.

He already has more rushing yards by a QB in the first 22 games of his career than Jackson, Robert Griffin III or Michael Vick (CBS Sports).

Wilson has 94 yards rushing through seven games this season.

We'll check off this box in favor of Fields here too.

When it comes to total quarterback rating (QBR), which is a formula exclusive to espn.com, that takes everything into consideration when it comes to lining up under center, Fields checks in No. 14 (54.8)....

Wilson is at No. 23 (45.2).

Fields comes off laser focused and confident.

Wilson comes off as entitled, which was one of my main concerns when he came out of BYU. His lack of accountability following the latest loss to New England even reportedly rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way.

Fields is building trust in his locker-room, while Wilson by the sounds of it, is losing his locker-room.

Yeah, I'd say the Jets should have read my pre-draft scouting reports on Fields and Wilson and taken Fields instead.

The game film agrees as do the stats.

If the Jets had Fields right now, they would be marching toward the playoffs instead of going back to the quarterback drawing board.

In fact, I said it in a tweet back in May.

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Daniel Kelly
DANIEL KELLY

Daniel spent four years in pro scouting with the New York Jets and brings vast experience scouting pro and college talent. Daniel has appeared in many major publications, including the New York Times and USA Today. Author of Whatever it Takes, the true story of a fan making it into the NFL, which was published in 2013. He has appeared on podcasts around the world breaking down and analyzing the NFL. Currently writes for SI All Lions. You can contact Daniel at whateverittakesbook@gmail.com

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