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:
Zach Wilson ‼️@BYUFootball | @zachkapono1 pic.twitter.com/yJBzgDdPQy
— NFL (@NFL) March 26, 2021
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.
I humbly request that Justin Fields be placed within Kyle Shanahan’s offense:pic.twitter.com/KAlVXw7Zr6
— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) March 30, 2021
After Wilson and Fields, Texas A&M's Kellen Mond attempted a similar throw at his pro day:
Wait. Kellen Mond did what?! 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Kom2fw1mOE
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) March 30, 2021
Then Luis Perez, a former Louisville quarterback, attempted a similar throw during his pro day:
Former AAF/XFL QB Luis Perez throwing at Louisville pro day yesterday, 55 yards.
— Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) March 31, 2021
6'3" 221 10" hands. pic.twitter.com/MK4KMXJrew
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:
Jets fans, take a look at some of Trevor Lawrence’s best throws from his Pro Day! What could’ve been!
— Overtime (@overtime) February 12, 2021
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/5dNrQq4uEj
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:
Been seeing a lot people freaking out over some great throws by Fields and Wilson. They are great QB prospects and deserv to be praised, but there are plenty of NFL QBs that can throw that against air. This is from Drew Locks pro day, almost identical. https://t.co/mMLLDzxja5 pic.twitter.com/yj52snzFDd
— Ryan Dyrud (@RyanDyrudLAFB) March 31, 2021
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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Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.
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