Zach Wilson

[Lumps]

Did an advanced search and was surprised to see there wasn’t a thread for him. So here we go.

I fully admit I’m aboard the train and have been. I took him #2 last year twice in 2QB leagues (14 and 16 teams respectively). Last year was obviously not good, but did anyone expect the Jets to be good? I didn’t. Being realistic, I can’t say I was happy the way it went for him.

I think (and perhaps judging by there isn’t a thread for him) people really bailed on him and I’m here to say maybe check in on him in your leagues and see if the owner is willing to sell on the cheap. I think dynasty managers missed out on how much better he played after he came back from injury. I’ve just found out something I completely missed in the news cycle last year.

The Jets hired his personal QB coach to their payroll in November last year while Zach was injured. This is the guy that Zach drove to be coached by every weekend prior to his final collegiate season. After they hired him, Zach threw 2 ints total. His final 6 games were 5 TDs and 1 int. Nothing otherworldly but cut down on rookie mistakes a ton. He also only had Elijah Moore for 1 game in his final 6. Carter was also dinged up.

With a healthy line, another year, another WR, and his QB coach all off season I think we can look for some nice progression.

[StripesOfKC]

I still like him

He could bust obviously but unlike with Lawrence or Fields going in round 2 the risk of him busting is pretty built in

Jets FO seems to be competent enough to give him a chance too

This was a good analytically based thread I saw recently for some optimism

https://twitter.com/dynasty_im/status/1 ... XLyP0pAAAA

[Dynasty DeLorean]

He played well some games and pretty poorly other games. If you’re buying you are buying the skill set and not buying what you saw last year. I think there is a lot of room for improvement. One major thing I keep harping on is he needs to use his legs more. So many times he could have ran for 5-10 yards but instead went for a risky throw. Just that one aspect alone would vault him to average starter in the league as a baseline. He is also known for his accuracy but at times last year he couldn’t hit a receiver 10 yards in front of him. I think that was rookie jitters and maybe injuries, or it could be he just isn’t cut out mentally for the nfl, because we know he’s accurate throwing the ball in a vacuum

[Sriracha]

He played well some games and pretty poorly other games. If you’re buying you are buying the skill set and not buying what you saw last year. I think there is a lot of room for improvement. One major thing I keep harping on is he needs to use his legs more. So many times he could have ran for 5-10 yards but instead went for a risky throw. Just that one aspect alone would vault him to average starter in the league as a baseline. He is also known for his accuracy but at times last year he couldn’t hit a receiver 10 yards in front of him. I think that was rookie jitters and maybe injuries, or it could be he just isn’t cut out mentally for the nfl, because we know he’s accurate throwing the ball in a vacuum

Pretty well said, and probably a more measured response than what I'm about to say

My comps for Zach Wilson coming into the NFL was a less talented Sam Darnold and a slightly more talented Drew Lock if he didn't play in the SEC.

Mind you, I was above consensus on Lock after his rookie year so it's not as if those were damning comparisons in my mind.. but their strengths and weaknesses are very similar. All of them struggle with decision making while displaying elite arm talent. All of them are more mobile than they're given credit for. And all of them had schizophrenic profiles based on the strength of the defenses they were going up against on any given week.

To some degree you'd expect a QB's play to be affected by strong defenses.. but it's a troubling sign when they have a Jekyll and Hyde relationship like the above QBs. The year Wilson blew up BYU had to throw together a hodgepodge schedule full of any team that was willing to play them in a COVID stricken year.. this led to one of the easiest strength of schedules BYU has played in probably over a decade. The one team that came in with a defense in the top 30 was Coastal Carolina... which was coincidentally BYU's only loss of the season.

I do think he is talented but I really feel that his chances of materializing that ceiling is significantly lower than many people want it to be.

[mild]

I think (and perhaps judging by there isn’t a thread for him) people really bailed on him and I’m here to say maybe check in on him in your leagues and see if the owner is willing to sell on the cheap. I think dynasty managers missed out on how much better he played after he came back from injury. I’ve just found out something I completely missed in the news cycle last year.

I've been on record as being on the Wilson train around here, and I'm still on it. Hoping to see a lot more out of him in his 2nd year, for sure.

He played well some games and pretty poorly other games. If you’re buying you are buying the skill set and not buying what you saw last year. I think there is a lot of room for improvement.

He definitely improved. It was definitely a bottom-barrel NFL situation and roster around him. I think there's reasonable expectation from those that are more optimistic - that he might continue to show on the form he was flashing in the final quarter of the season, and that there might be growth from the Jets starters, the overall roster constuction, and from literally all of the key coaches who were also rookies (HC, DC and OC).

To wit - the QB School ran two episodes on Zach last season:

Here's the first one from in the thick of the season where pretty much everything was going wrong "I'll have the blame salad for Zach Wilson"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlBj1E2S1mI

And here's one breaking down his late season form: "Is Zach Wilson Improving?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u8vxBYTGyBQ

Regardless of whether Wilson hits or busts - at the root of it, this is the kind of QB you want to gamble on in Fantasy. He has a massive arm that can make all manner of off-platform throws, and he's aggressive in hunting for big plays. If his game sense can catch up to his arm talent, he *could* be a fantasy superstar (and light the league on fire! ) - certainly in ways that low aDOT QB's like Tua, Baker, etc - never will.

[Lumps]

I think criticisms tossed his way are fair and not unwarranted. I think you’re buying more than projection, athleticism, and arm talent though. You’re buying into drive and wanting to be better.

“What I feel like his biggest strength is? Football junkie,” said Beck on Cougar Sports Saturday. “Some people get tired of the grind and Zach doesn’t. Zach’s switch is always on. I feel like there’s two types of people. There’s people that you have to help them keep the switch on and then there’s people that you need to remind to turn the switch off. He’s always on that side (turn the switch off).”

In April and early May, Wilson spent three weeks getting tutored by former BYU quarterback John Beck and others at the 3DQB training camp for quarterbacks in Huntington Beach, California. Since then, he returns almost every weekend for more instruction, often making the 650-mile drive down on Friday and returning on Sunday to save money.

Some good stuff here too, including Daniel Jerimiah:
https://www.deseret.com/2022/3/8/229658 ... ?_amp=true

[Lumps]

he *could* be a fantasy superstar (and light the league on fire! ) - certainly in ways that low aDOT QB's like Tua, Baker, etc - never will.

[Dynasty DeLorean]

He definitely improved. It was definitely a bottom-barrel NFL situation and roster around him. I think there's reasonable expectation from those that are more optimistic - that he might continue to show on the form he was flashing in the final quarter of the season, and that there might be growth from the Jets starters, the overall roster constuction, and from literally all of the key coaches who were also rookies (HC, DC and OC).

There is some truth to this. The roster was a hot mess. Go watch the first game or 2 of his career on the "every throw" youtube cutups. His receivers dropped the ball maybe 7-8 times in the first game I think. I watched that game and thought he played really well actually, which is why it was weird to see his regression throughout the season to the point where he was missing wide open receivers from a clean pocket. I have Wilson on a lot of teams so I want him to succeed, but he was downright bad last year too and it had nothing to do with the roster around him at times. My biggest criticism during the draft process was that he tried to do too much vs. the tougher opponents in college. He became hot-headed and lost his composure. I think you saw this manifest in the NFL where he was throwing something like 4 INT's every game because he's trying to do too much. If he can solve that problem (which is very solvable), buying into his skillset could be a big win for dynasty managers.

[mild]

He definitely improved. It was definitely a bottom-barrel NFL situation and roster around him. I think there's reasonable expectation from those that are more optimistic - that he might continue to show on the form he was flashing in the final quarter of the season, and that there might be growth from the Jets starters, the overall roster constuction, and from literally all of the key coaches who were also rookies (HC, DC and OC).

There is some truth to this. The roster was a hot mess. Go watch the first game or 2 of his career on the "every throw" youtube cutups. His receivers dropped the ball maybe 7-8 times in the first game I think. I watched that game and thought he played really well actually, which is why it was weird to see his regression throughout the season to the point where he was missing wide open receivers from a clean pocket. I have Wilson on a lot of teams so I want him to succeed, but he was downright bad last year too and it had nothing to do with the roster around him at times. My biggest criticism during the draft process was that he tried to do too much vs. the tougher opponents in college. He became hot-headed and lost his composure. I think you saw this manifest in the NFL where he was throwing something like 4 INT's every game because he's trying to do too much. If he can solve that problem (which is very solvable), buying into his skillset could be a big win for dynasty managers.

Again - I can't recommend this enough - watch the "I'll have the Blame Salad" video above.

Zach certainly deserves his portion of the blame for the lowlights last year - but I have got to emphasise just how much systematic disfunction surrounded him. From the playcalling (LaFleur had never called plays) to the play design (frequently confounding conceptually and usually asking much more of ZW than a typical rookie) to the OL folding like a cheap deck chair on nearly every snap. The dude was under constant assault. His receivers would frequently run -terrible- routes, or outright drop the ball, or both - keep an eye on them in those breakdowns I posted, you'll see it for sure.

As if all of that wasn't enough, he also lost his personal QB's coach (Greg Knapp) to a freak traffic accident in late July (ie immediately prior to pre-season). Like... good lord... this guy had all the luck.

Regarding his INT's - once he returned from his shoulder injury, his final 7 games - 2 INT's total in 202 pass attempts. That's not bad at all.

Recall - this is also the kid that went toe-to-toe with Tom Brady in Week 17 - with THAT Jets roster, no less - and damn near won.

Again, there are reasons for optimism for those that care to look deeper. This guy is definitely not a lost cause yet, not even close.

[Ice]

I expect to see a big jump in Wilson's performance this year. Playing QB as a rookie on a horrible team is very difficult. He may not improve as much as Lawrence will this year but it is hard not to like his quick release. The game should slow down for him this season as the talent and experience around him also improves.

The biggest concern for Wilson is he is still on bad team compared to the rest of that division.

[GregOfTheDead]

Last year was so horrible but I am holding out hope he improves as the team seems to be really trying on giving him more weapons to succeed. I also don’t really have a choice to think otherwise as I’m too bitter to sell low on him now haha

[halfbaked88]

I believe in the arm talent, but I wanted to see him utilize some hidden rushing ability which is the only way I see him reaching QB1 status. The Jets have 4 picks in the Top40 and is a favorite for trading for Deebo this week, or so I hear. And Drake London. He could get some serious weapons very soon.

One of my biggest concerns, based on what I said about needing some rushing upside, is durability. I was fearful of that before he was ever drafted to an NFL team. When he sustained the knee injury last year I definitely had an I-told-you-so moment with the Wilson owner who I specifically stated Wilson would get injured behind that Jets O-Line before the season even started.

I hope they fix that line. It's hard to develop as a passer when you're on your bicycle the whole time.

[Lumps]

I believe in the arm talent, but I wanted to see him utilize some hidden rushing ability which is the only way I see him reaching QB1 status. The Jets have 4 picks in the Top40 and is a favorite for trading for Deebo this week, or so I hear. And Drake London. He could get some serious weapons very soon.

One of my biggest concerns, based on what I said about needing some rushing upside, is durability. I was fearful of that before he was ever drafted to an NFL team. When he sustained the knee injury last year I definitely had an I-told-you-so moment with the Wilson owner who I specifically stated Wilson would get injured behind that Jets O-Line before the season even started.

I hope they fix that line. It's hard to develop as a passer when you're on your bicycle the whole time.

Agreed on him getting hurt with a bad OL. They don't want an Andrew Luck situation so they addressed that in FA. There are also talks they may draft a C. One mock I saw had them trading up from one of their early 2nds into the back end of the 1st for Linderbaum.

By signing guard Tomlinson, the potential starters on the line are Mekhi Becton and George Fant (either of them at left or right tackle), Tomlinson and second-year stud Alijah Vera-Tucker at guard, with Connor McGovern at center. Tomlinson was one of the top guards available in free agency -- he's tough and durable (having not missed a snap in the past three seasons).

"I'm intrigued with the Jets' potential for 2022 — and most of all I really like how GM Joe Douglas has put everything into rebuilding the offensive line," said Albert Breer of SI.com. "In Mekhi Becton, Alijah Vera-Tucker and [Laken] Tomlinson, he has very real foundation pieces. And that sort of investment really is an investment in Zach Wilson."

Tight end was addressed with the signings of C.J. Uzomah (from Cincinnati) and Tyler Conklin (from Minnesota), who each give Wilson enhanced options while also bringing with them blocking tenacity in the run game. Uzomah and Conklin combined last season for 110 catches, 1,086 yards and 8 touchdowns; and their ability in the pass and run games will enable OC Mike LaFleur to more adeptly employ 12 personnel (two TEs) sets. With injuries to Tyler Kroft and Ryan Griffin last season, the Jets only used the 12 personnel set 11% of the time.

Cody Benjamin of CBSsports.com gave the Jets an overall grade of A- for their performance in free agency, writing that "Uzomah is a nice pass-catching addition for Zach Wilson, and Tomlinson helps beef up the line."

[mild]

Beefwatch '22: Zach Wilson is Yoked edition.

https://twitter.com/Willpa11/status/1521633565292863491

Wilson faithful: You love to see it.

[AZK]

The year Wilson blew up BYU had to throw together a hodgepodge schedule full of any team that was willing to play them in a COVID stricken year.. this led to one of the easiest strength of schedules BYU has played in probably over a decade. The one team that came in with a defense in the top 30 was Coastal Carolina... which was coincidentally BYU's only loss of the season.

Not a Wilson truther or hater as I have no dog in the fight but this is the most interesting post I have read about him.