Zach Wilson or Justin Fields?
That’s the question the Jets will need to answer before handing in their draft card for the No. 2 overall pick on April 29.
It’s a tough decision for the Jets to make. Whichever quarterback they chose will be handed the keys to the franchise and expected to propel the Jets into the future. The wrong choice could set the Jets back, much like what has already happened with Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith and Sam Darnold.
Fortunately, Wilson and Fields look like fantastic options. They both come with individual pros and cons, but the overall resume is promising for both players. The Jets sent high-level executives and coaches to both of their pro days, so the team brass saw what Wilson and Fields can do live. It all depends on how Joe Douglas, Robert Saleh and Mike LaFleur feel about the fit for each prospect.
Both are 6-foot-3 gunslingers with incredible arms. Wilson’s 6.8 air yards per passing attempt ranked second in college football last year, according to Jets X-Factor’s Michael Nania, while Fields’ 6.5 air yards per attempt ranked fifth.
Wilson has the ability to improvise and is a great schematic fit in LaFleur’s offense. But Field’s athleticism looks off the charts. His unofficial 4.44 time in the 40-yard dash is the second-fastest by a quarterback since Robert Griffin III ran a 4.41, per ESPN Stats and Information. Fields is also a tad bigger at 228 pounds, compared to Wilson’s 210-pound frame.
Fields played much better competition and had a sustained level of excellence during his collegiate career. He faced SEC opponents in limited exposure as a freshman at Georgia in 2018 and then battled Big Ten competition over the past two seasons at Ohio State, where he threw for 63 touchdowns and just nine interceptions. Fields also averaged 2,850.5 yards over the past two years and completed 68 percent of his passes in his college career.
Let’s not forget his six-touchdown game while battling a rib injury in a huge win over Clemson in the College Football Playoff this past season.
Wilson, meanwhile, only broke out in 2020 after underperforming in 2019 while he battled a shoulder injury from the offseason and a hand injury during the season. He also didn’t play against a Power-5 school last year when he decimated the competition. The hardest teams he faced this past season were Boise State, Coastal Carolina and Central Florida, where he went 2-1 with seven touchdowns, one interception and averaged 343 yards in those contests.
Fields struggled against good competition this past season – namely, a 144-yard, zero-touchdown performance against Northwestern – and some scouts contend he has trouble progressing past his first read. There is also a worry that Fields takes too long to get rid of the ball and relies on his legs to get out of tricky situations. He averaged 3.11 seconds to throw, which ranked fourth in the country, and scrambled on 11.7 percent of his dropbacks, per Nania. Lots of that has to do with Ohio State’s offensive line and style of play, but it’s still something the Jets will need to consider when evaluating both quarterbacks.
The beauty of it all is the Jets have control over who they take second overall. Trevor Lawrence will likely be the first pick, so the Jets will have a few weeks to make a decision before choosing Wilson or Fields. No prospect is perfect, and both Wilson and Fields look like potential stars in the making.
It will all come down to the Jets’ comfortability with either player.
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