NFL Insider Reveals What Sets Zach Wilson Apart From Other Rookie Quarterbacks

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson has skills to excel in NFL with his elite arm talent and ability to handle the football, says NFL insider Brian Baldinger
John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

To go second overall in the NFL draft, there's no question Zach Wilson has the skills to compete and excel at the next level.

What is it specifically about Wilson's game, however, that makes him worthy of being the franchise quarterback of the New York Jets?

In a recent interview with Jets Country, Brian Baldinger of the NFL Network recalled Wilson's "meteoric" rise. Even if the quarterback going No. 2 overall wasn't what Baldinger initially expected, it's his right arm that led to New York taking him early in the first.

"The first thing that jumps out in any game you watch is just elite arm talent," Baldinger explained. "I don't want to compare him to Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes because those guys are doing it, but you see that type of arm talent, you see a guy that can just put himself in any position and make these throws and it showed up in every game."

Baldinger spoke about how Wilson influenced other first-round quarterbacks—like Trey Lance and Justin Fields—to make certain throws during their pro days. As much as others at the position wanted to imitate him, there are some traits you simply can't teach.

"He got really good hands, good hands with the ball, he just looks really natural with it, Baldinger said. "And then his release is just exquisite. So that's what you see about him. You just see these crazy good throws that he makes in every single game. And just his ability just to handle the ball, whether it's out of shotgun, play action fakes, all that kind of stuff. You see that ability."

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Part of the battle for Wilson will be learning about his new NFL offense and opposing defenses that he'll be facing. That won't happen overnight, as someone like Baldinger is still learning about football as well.

To help him stay up to date with a game that's constantly evolving, Baldinger is working with CoachTube.com, a portal that provides coaching courses for a variety of sports. With several football coaching and evaluation videos on CoachTube, Baldinger finds himself learning more about the game he loves on a daily basis.

"Everybody sees it differently, coaches it differently," Baldinger said. "So it's really a way for any fan, at any level, to really get a better understanding of the game. And I think that it can be a complicated game, but there are certain people that really can explain it well and put it in simple terms without getting carried away with a lot of terminology and stuff like that."

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Max Goodman
MAX GOODMAN

Max Goodman covers the New York Jets for Sports Illustrated and FanNation. He also covers the New York Yankees, publisher  of Sports Illustrated and FanNation's Yankees site, Inside The Pinstripes. Before starting out with SI, Goodman attended Northwestern University and the Medill School of Journalism. He earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Journalism and Master’s Degree in Sports Media, graduating in 2019. While at school, Goodman gathered valuable experience as an anchor and reporter on NNN SportsNight and played on the club baseball team. Goodman previously interned at MLB.com as an associate reporter covering the Miami Marlins. He also interned with ESPN, working as an associate reporter on Mike Greenberg's Get Up. Goodman is from New York City. He grew up in Hell's Kitchen. Follow Goodman on Twitter @MaxTGoodman and connect with him via email by reaching out at maxgoodmansports@gmail.com.