Jets Got This Wrong When Evaluating Zach Wilson, Choosing to Draft Him

This former scout runs through his own evaluations of Zach Wilson leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, showcasing where Joe Douglas and the Jets were wrong.

During his second draft at the helm of the Jets, Joe Douglas selected Zach Wilson in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

Douglas, the Jets' General Manager, traded quarterback Sam Darnold earlier that month and made way for Wilson, who he then selected No. 2 overall, behind Jacksonville's Trevor Lawrence and ahead of San Francisco's Trey Lance.

Quarterbacks Justin Fields was selected nine picks later by Chicago, and Mac Jones went thirteen picks after Wilson.

How did it turn out for Douglas, Wilson and the Jets?

Not good.

New York has gone 8-14 with Wilson under center (2021-2022) and he has posted an NFL career 55.2% completion percentage.

That statistic ranks lowest in the NFL during that time period amongst starting quarterbacks.

As a former Pro Scout with the Jets, I was the only voice in America who labeled Wilson as a "sure-fire bust," in my pre-draft evaluation. I took a lot of heat for my words that made headlines in the Sporting News.

However, to me, Wilson was one of the easiest evaluations I'd ever done.

"There is a lot of hype surrounding this kid, but in reality, he only looks like a glorified high school quarterback who excels at sandlot football," was an opening statement I made in my evaluation.

What are the top three things Douglas failed to see on game film?

Erratic ball placement

I studied every pass and run by Wilson his final season at BYU on YouTube. I feel if the Jets' fan base and national media were to take the time to watch this, it would put everything in perspective.

Wilson's erratic downfield ball placement jumped off the screen.

Wilson's receivers were jumping and diving all over the place. Too many passes were sailing high or coming in low. His ball placement was all over the road. Good ball placement is different from completion percentage. It's the ability of a quarterback to put the ball where receivers can run through the catch and pick up additional yardage. Wilson's "73.5%" completion percentage that year came against a lot of zone coverage and a very soft schedule.

I was more focused on Wilson's ability (or lack thereof) to put the football on point.

Based on what Wilson put on game film I predicted "he will be an interception machine in the NFL."

Wilson's two-year Jets' touchdown-to-interception ratio: 15-18.

Timing concerns

I counted a number of times on game film receivers literally had to stand there waiting for Wilson's passes to arrive, and I knew that would never fly in the National Football League.

Wilson tended to put too much air under the ball. He wasn't putting much hot sauce on his passes either. In other words, I questioned his arm strength.

I questioned it to the point where I pondered if Wilson's previous throwing arm injuries and resulting surgeries were causing him issues.

It was striking how Wilson worked a lot along the sidelines while tending to stay out of the middle of the field, especially in tight man coverage.

Wilson's deep game was as concerning.

He tended to throw "50-50" passes at this route level. These are jump passes when a quarterback just throws it up deep and hopes for the best.

HIs deep game wasn't what it needed to be and it did not project well to the next level.

Inability to succeed within structure

Wilson's best moments during his final season at BYU were when he went off-platform and things got unscripted after his initial well-schooled set up in the pocket.

This made for some eye-grabbing highlights, but it also left me saying in his pre-draft evaluation, "Best chance to succeed is in an offense filled with trick plays."

He was on point when he was ad-libbing and doing the Houdini stuff.

Wilson never gave the impression on his game film he was a classic drop back pocket passer, who could succeed and conform to an organized traditional NFL offense.

Bottom line

I walked away from watching the 2 hours, 19 minutes and 54 seconds of 'every play from Zach Wilson's 2020 season,' saying, "I was not impressed by his downfield results whatsoever."

Had Douglas properly valued Wilson and taken him in the third-round, and properly set developmental expectations by doing so, maybe this would be different.

"It would be foolish to take him in the first round. He will get everybody fired," is what I said pre-draft, 2021.

Stay tuned. 

MORE:

• Jets Must Find Running Game to Keep Playoff Hopes Alive
• Joe Douglas Has Failed to Build Jets' Offensive Line
• Robert Saleh Rejects Report That Jets Will Move on From Zach Wilson: 'We're Not Quitting On Him'

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