Did Zach Wilson Start a New Pro Day Trend?
Last Friday, Zach Wilson went viral on pro day when he threw a perfectly-placed pass across his body during his scripted throwing routine. It appears that Wilson's throw may have started a new trend among NFL quarterback hopefuls.
Below is Zach's original throw. At the time of this article, the video has over 3.6 million views:
Shortly after Wilson's pro day, Ohio State's Justin Fields had his pro day. He performed a similar routine - he also worked with former BYU quarterback John Beck in preparation for pro day. His video has 3.5 million views as of this article.
After Wilson and Fields, Texas A&M's Kellen Mond attempted a similar throw at his pro day:
Then Luis Perez, a former Louisville quarterback, attempted a similar throw during his pro day:
Zach Wilson responded to Perez' throw saying, "I guess I started a trend":
It's not uncommon for top quarterback prospects to be showcased on social media following their pro day. Take Trevor Lawrence, for example. Lawrence's best throw on pro day went viral, to a much lesser degree, after his pro day workout in February:
The video of Lawrence has just under 300k views.
It's also not uncommon for quarterback prospects to attempt throws across their body for pro day. For example, check out this video of Drew Lock during his pro day in 2019:
So why did Wilson's throw go viral? In this author's opinion, it was the effortless nature of the throw that stood out. Wilson's throw appeared so fluid - like a shortstop turning a double play. While throwing a deep ball across the body for pro day may be here to stay, very few will be able to make it look as effortless and fluid as Zach Wilson. His ability to throw off-platform and at various arm angles is why Zach Wilson is a projected top-five pick in the NFL Draft.
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