Zach Wilson Ranked as Third-Best Quarterback From 2021 Draft Class

Can Zach Wilson have a better sophomore season than Trevor Lawrence or Mac Jones?

Zach Wilson was picked second among a slew of talented young quarterbacks in the 2021 NFL Draft.

After struggling in his rookie season, and missing time due to injury, where does he rank among those signal-callers?

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler checked in with some NFL executives, scouts and coaches recently, ranking the six starting quarterbacks from that draft class in order of 2022 expectations, factoring in their supporting cast and fit on their current team.

Here's the 1-6 rankings, along with what was said about Wilson by those Fowler spoke with:

1. Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars

2. Mac Jones, New England Patriots

3. Zach Wilson, New York Jets

4. Justin Fields, Chicago Bears

5. Trey Lance, San Francisco 49ers

6. Davis Mills, Houston Texans

FOWLER: On paper, Wilson's rookie year couldn't have gone much worse. He went 3-10 as a starter and had the league's lowest completion percentage (55.6%) among full-time quarterbacks. A knee injury cost him four games, and his supporting cast was lackluster.

But he settled down late in the year: Over his final seven games, he had five passing touchdowns and two interceptions. Wilson's QBR rose slightly during that span -- from 24.8 through his first six starts to 31.0 over his last seven -- and the Jets were pleased with the progress. Wilson was blitzed 32% of the time over the final two months and had less time to pass (2.9 seconds per attempt, down from 3.1 earlier in the year) yet was more productive.

"He dug himself out of a big hole mentally and physically," an NFC offensive coach said. "That was impressive. And he has special arm talent."

...

"Lots more around him, but it's still the Jets," an AFC scout said. "Never know what you're going to get."

Added an NFC exec: "They could be a playoff team if he protects the football and stays healthy."

Without diving into the situations in Jacksonville and New England, Wilson has a tremendous opportunity in green and white to develop this year. Not only does he have a year under his belt with this scheme and coaching staff, plenty of reps and experience to learn from, but he's now surrounded by a multitude of weapons on offense, a group that's talented enough to lift him up between the lines.

What Wilson needs to do is find that balance between his elite arm talent and playmaking ability versus checkdowns and playing within the offense. When you have studs at wide receiver, running back and tight end—assuming everyone is healthy—you don't always have to win games by forcing the ball downfield (a habit he fell into early on last year).

The sophomore should have a chance in 2022 to stick to the plan, letting those around him make plays while biding his time until an explosive opportunity opens in the secondary. That's when he can riffle a deep ball or fit a laser into a tight window, moving in and out of the pocket as he's shown he has the ability to do.

If he can take that leap forward, avoiding turnovers and improving his accuracy, Wilson could end up at the top of a list like this next offseason...

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