Super Bowl-winning quarterback Joe Theismann would select Zach Wilson over Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL draft.
Not everybody is on the Trevor Lawrence train.
Washington Football Team quarterback great Joe Theismann really loves Zach Wilson. In fact, he would select the BYU righty over Trevor Lawrence in the 2021 NFL draft.
“Honestly, yes,” Theismann said when asked if he’d select Wilson over Fields, via CBS Sports. “[It’s] really close. We are sort of splitting hairs here a little bit but I would as a matter of fact.
“I just think coming into this particular draft, Zach checks all of the boxes for me. Personally, my choice. My guy.”
Wilson, 21, exploded onto the scene this past season in a way Joe Burrow can understand. He threw for 3,692 yards and 33 touchdowns to just three measly interceptions in 12 games for the Cougars in 2020.
The New York Jets head into the draft with the No. 2 overall pick, which obviously means the quarterback decision comes down to Wilson or Justin Fields—if quarterback is what Joe Douglas is thinking there. Lawrence is obviously expected to be chosen by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“I think Zach, obviously, I just love the way he throws the football. It is hard to teach. We have seen people learn to perfect it a little bit,” Theismann said. “He has all the skills; he has a live arm, he has a strong arm, he can put touch on it, he can gun it. He is 6-foot-3, he is not a small guy. He moves around with great athleticism. I think, to me, watching him play quarterback, he looks really ready.”
The rise of mock drafts and draft season sports media has made it a bit easier to laugh or otherwise mock a line of thinking that contrasts with the crowd. For instance, it was silly to suggest Patrick Mahomes should have been selected as the top quarterback in his class a few years ago. Mitchell Trubisky was the no-doubt-about-it top player at the position.
Year in and year out, the big board rarely fits reality—something that needs to be kept in mind this time of year.
Theismann will surely hear a few chuckles for this one, but if history is any guide, the football world should at least consider the possibility that Zach Wilson should be slotted ahead of Trevor Lawrence in many regards.
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Honestly, I feel that Wilson and Lance are the top two quarterbacks in the draft due to their unique skillsets. Wilson’s pass is perfect, and Lance has incredible instincts on decision making. Lawrence and Mac Jones threw a lot of screens and short passes that the receivers got a ton of yards, and Lawrence and Mac Jones get exposed when the pass goes more than 5 yards at times. Lawrence does not read zones well. Fields has incredible talent, but I question his field vision since he makes questionable decisions with the ball.