Joe Douglas Is Responsible For Jets' Quarterback Fiasco
In this story:
Zach Wilson has come under heavy fire lately, but really it's not all his fault.
Yes, I am his biggest critic, but at the same time, this needs to stay balanced.
Let me start by saying, everything this quarterback has been with the Jets, he was at BYU.
Wilson looks identical on Jets' game film as he looked in college, only not as confident.
Nothing he has done has been a surprise to me, which is why I put a third-round grade on him 53 days before the draft and labeled him as a "Surefire bust."
So who really is at fault for how things have turned out?
Is it Wilson or is it the organization who blew through the red lights and over-graded him?
Undoubtedly, Wilson will take the brunt of the blame, but as a former Jets' Pro Scout, I believe team General Manager Joe Douglas needs to take accountability for what he believed was a franchise quarterback.
All the clues were there when Wilson was in college.
Why then didn't Douglas see them?
Downfield accuracy issues
The first big clue was Wilson ranking as the ninth-highest passing yardage leader in BYU history, behind a list of mostly unknowns.
Outside of quarterbacks Steve Young, Jim McMahon and Ty Detmer, most of BYU's top-10 leading passers are names most fans would never recognize.
Names like Max Hall, John Beck, Robbie Bosco, John Walsh and Kevin Feterik all rank ahead of Wilson on BYU's all-time passing yards leader board.
Who?
From there, the game film told the rest of the story.
Prior to the 2021 NFL Draft, I went back and watched all of Wilson's throws from his final season at BYU. I found this game film on YouTube, which is how easily accessible it was to find and evaluate.
"I watched every one of his throws and runs in 2020 and I am not seeing it or feeling it with this guy in terms of arm strength, touch, ball placement, or accuracy," I wrote pre-draft for NFL Draft Diamonds. "Half of his throws look great and half of them look receiver "unfriendly," or downright bad. Many passes were high or low and were either incomplete or he gave the receivers literally no chance to pick up additional yards. It literally and consistently was like watching two different quarterbacks throw. He will be an interception machine in the NFL."
Did Douglas watch his game film?
College level of competition
Navy, Troy, Louisiana Tech, UTSA, Houston, Texas State, Western Kentucky, Boise State, North Alabama, Coastal Carolina, San Diego State and UCF.
Those are the opponents Wilson faced in his final college season when he put up his "big numbers" in 2020.
That season, he completed 73.5% of his passes, 33 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, which sounds impressive until you consider the level of competition.
Everybody in scouting knows strength of the schedule plays a role in determining a final grade on a prospect. This is especially true if a higher ranked prospect has produced good statistics against lesser competition.
BYU had the No. 67 ranked college football strength of schedule in Wilson's final season leading up to the draft.
This is where it gets really interesting...
Wilson's numbers were even more down to earth his first two seasons at BYU. In fact, his numbers during that span of time look a lot closer to his numbers his first two seasons at the Jets.
He completed 62.4% of his passes with 11 touchdowns and 9 interceptions in 2019 against the No. 71 ranked schedule.
He completed 65.9% of his passes with 12 touchdowns and 3 interceptions in 2018 playing the No. 61 ranked schedule.
Wilson additionally played a much lighter strength of schedule than quarterbacks Justin Fields (Ohio State) and Mac Jones (Alabama) who were taken after him in the first round in 2021.
Did Douglas weigh Wilson's level of collegiate competition when putting a grade on him?
Pre-draft leadership question
Wilson's uncle, David Neeleman, is the founder of JetBlue, which is the official airline of the Jets.
It's fair to say Wilson grew up around money.
This led me to my number one documented question heading into that draft.
Did Wilson have a sense of entitlement?
When Wilson learned Jets' Head Coach Robert Saleh was benching him this past week, his response was, "Why me? Why now? I want to play."
Wilson's unrehearsed response suggests he did.
Did Douglas consider this?
MORE:
- Bears' Justin Fields Questionable: How Jets Are Preparing For Chicago's Offense
- What Corey Davis' Return From Injury Means For Jets
- Jets Explain Why Mike White Was Picked to Replace Zach Wilson This Week
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