NY Jets select Zach Wilson in Daniel Jeremiah’s first 2021 NFL Mock Draft
By Justin Fried
The NY Jets will have an important decision to make at the quarterback position this offseason. And one player who stands as good a chance as any to be the team’s Week 1 starter in 2021 is BYU’s Zach Wilson.
Wilson is widely considered one of the top prospects in the 2021 NFL Draft class and the Jets make a ton of sense as a possible landing spot. At least, that’s the opinion of one of the top draft analysts out there.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah released his first mock draft of the offseason and in it, he had the Jets selecting Wilson with the second overall pick in the draft.
The Jets will have a decision to make regarding the future of Sam Darnold within the coming weeks and months. After three seasons in New York, it’s safe to say that Darnold has failed to live up to expectations.
Be that because of a poor situation or his own deficiencies, it’s the truth. And the Jets might ultimately decide to move on from the former No. 3 overall pick as a result.
If they do, Wilson is someone Jets fans should get very familiar with.
NY Jets fans should familiarize themselves with Zach Wilson
Few players saw a similar meteoric rise up draft boards as Wilson saw this season. After two years as an on-again, off-again middling starter, Wilson broke out in 2020 and established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the country.
The 21-year-old finished the year with 33 touchdowns to only three interceptions en route to a victory over UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl — a game that saw him named Offensive MVP.
Wilson led the Cougars to an 11-1 record and quickly became a first-round lock. Now, he’s firmly entrenched in the conversation for QB2 in this class behind Trevor Lawrence.
Much has been made about the possibility that they select Ohio State’s Justin Fields as well, but those rumors have seemingly died down in recent weeks. Especially since the hiring of Robert Saleh.
Wilson is notably a much better fit in new offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur’s system due to his quick release, processing speed, and a host of other factors. Both are very good quarterback prospects, but Wilson might make more sense for the Jets.
Regardless, the Jets have plenty of options at their disposal. Expect general manager Joe Douglas to explore each and every one of those options as he looks to set the Jets’ organization on the right trajectory for the near and distant future.
Zach Wilson will be one of the many options that he explores.