Ex-Jets Scout Grades QB Zach Wilson

This former Jets scout provides a scouting report on Zach Wilson's rookie season.

Author:
Daniel Kelly
Publish date:
Jun 5, 2022 6:01 PM EDT

In this story:

Zach Wilson looked good half the time and he looked bad the other half for New York in 2021.

There was enough on game film from the quarterback to provide optimism and there is enough evidence that continues to tell me he is a sure-fire bust.

Despite the hype videos floating around on social media highlighting Wilson throwing beauties in slow motion during practice, it is time to sound the alarm in New York.

It is time to panic.

The reason?

The inconsistent tempo, rhythm and continuity Wilson brings to this offense on game film and there is no greater predictor of future performance than game film.

There are four things that are going to run Wilson out of New York:

Erratic ball placement (at all three route levels, short, intermediate and deep).
Holding the ball too long (evident by being the third most sacked QB in the NFL in 2021 with 44 sacks).
Mental lapses (he throws ‘what were you thinking passes’ too often).
Lack of big play capability. Wilson is awful on his deep ball accuracy.

Wilson’s ball placement was all over the road in 2021. Too many of his passes were high, too low or overthrown. Even on completions, his ball placement often gave his receiver no chance to pick up yardage after the catch.

Wilson completed 67.7% of his passes in 2021, which ranked him No. 27 in the league.

Even more telling was the analysis of Wilson’s effectiveness against man and zone coverages. Wilson completed 53.9% vs. man coverage (No. 28) and 67.0% vs. zone coverage (No. 29).

This further points to Wilson’s problem with his downfield ball placement.

Wilson is better throwing into larger throwing windows (zone), opposed to throwing into smaller windows against man coverages.

While Wilson looked better mid-late season than early on, even then his performance was not close to being what New York needs to win going forward.

It is also easy to see how opposing defensive coordinators can scheme to beat him in the upcoming season. Send constant pressure in his face and play nothing but man coverage.

Wilson struggled under pressure, especially when he was flushed out of the pocket to his left. He tends to take sacks too, which puts the offense in even more of a jam.

There are things I do like about Wilson, which is what caused me to put a third-round grade on him pre-draft.

However, it is always one step forward with Wilson and a step or two backwards.

Former Jets Scout Says New York Is in Trouble With QB Zach Wilson

This former NFL scout believes New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson is a bust in the making, explaining why in his scouting report.

Grading Zach Wilson

Jets QB Zach Wilson on sideline — Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

6-foot-2, 214 pounds

2021 Jets game film reviewed: (9/12) CAR, (9/19) NE, (11/28) HOU, (12/5) PHI, (1/2) TB, (1/9) BUF

Grade: D (below-average)

17 game win total prediction: 5 games

Scouting Report

Jets QB Zach Wilson takes helmet off — Elsa/Getty Images

Athletic and energetic signal caller with good arm strength, but struggles to accurately drive the ball downfield downfield and does not bring needed continuity. Passer first and a runner second. Well-schooled mechanics and decent play-action fake. Competitive and poised. Will stand in there. Shows ability to go through progressions, but too often breaks down under pressure and the play does not net yield a positive outcome. Has excellent escapability under pressure and can take off and pick up yardage. Has some Houdini to him, but lacks accuracy when flushed out. Good arm strength. Accuracy and ball placement leave a lot to be desired at all three route levels. Tries to hard to steer the ball at times. Throws too many dangerous passes. Hesitates at times and that knocks off the offense’s timing. Does not know always know what he is seeing in coverages. Struggles to put together sustained drives. Looks overwhelmed. Eventually will transition into a back-up role and will not see a second contract with the Jets.

Bottom Line

Jets QB Zach Wilson throws pass vs. Carolina Panthers — Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

Wilson is a well-trained QB, who lacks the natural instincts for the position to develop.

The most telling analytic was even when Wilson was throwing from a clean pocket without pressure, he only completed 61.8% of his passes (No. 33).

I hate to be the bearer of bad news because I do want to see the Jets win and do well.

However, I am not part of the hype machine that likes to glaze over a lost season and focus instead on how pretty his passes are looking in recent practices.

We all already know he looks like a champ in practice when his coaches are coddling him.

It’s the games we have to worry about.