NY Jets: At least one NFL team ‘not convinced’ Zach Wilson is the pick

The NY Jets seem locked into the idea that they will take BYU quarterback Zach Wilson second overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. After all, that’s been the rumor for a number of months now and the trade of Sam Darnold seemingly confirmed this.

Even general manager Joe Douglas seemed to imply that Wilson would be the pick when asked about a report from NFL Hall of Famer and BYU alumn Steve Young that indicated that Wilson would be the pick.

The writing is on the wall. But it doesn’t seem as though every NFL team is convinced.

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported on Monday that “at least one team in the NFL is not fully convinced the Jets are selecting Zach Wilson.” He noted that “perhaps a few more” could feel the same way as well.

Could the NY Jets really pass on Zach Wilson?

Nothing is set in stone as of yet, but just as it seems that Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence is locked into the No. 1 overall pick, the same appears to be true for Wilson and the No. 2 overall pick.

The actions of other teams indicate this as well given that the San Francisco 49ers never even approached the Jets about trading up to second overall.

And there’s the report that the Philadelphia Eagles’ top priority was Wilson, but once it became clear that they weren’t going to be able to trade up to grab him (presumably because the Jets had no interest in trading down), they opted to trade back.

Combine that with the various reports from everyone around the league that indicate the Jets will make Wilson the pick and it seems rather obvious. But according to La Canfora, at least one team isn’t convinced.

One longtime AFC executive had the following to say about the issue.

“Are we all sure that Wilson is going second? Is that written in stone somewhere? Seriously, have they come out and said it? Maybe Wilson is the pick, but you can’t tell me he is absolutely a better prospect than [Justin] Fields. We would take Fields there at 2. What if they do take Fields? Then San Francisco takes Wilson. Then New England comes up to 4 and gets [Mac] Jones. There’s no way that could happen?”

Is this anything to read into? Or are these just typical rumors popping up 10 days before the draft to stir up controversy? It’s likely more the latter than anything else.

The Jets regime has notably been tight-lipped under Douglas with few leaks emerging from the organization. But what would be the point of a smokescreen this time around?

No team is going to leapfrog the Jets for their preferred quarterback. Why convince other teams that you’re going to select Wilson only to then draft someone like Justin Fields?

It just doesn’t make sense.

Zach Wilson will, in all likelihood, be the pick come April 29th. Maybe hold off on buying those Wilson jerseys, but you could at least set up the pre-order.