Expert Analysis

3/26/21

2 min min read

Who Knew Zach Wilson Would Be the Next Joe Burrow? (We Did)

Who Knew Zach Wilson Would Be the Next Joe Burrow?

The eyes of the NFL world Friday will be on BYU quarterback Zach Wilson as he takes part in BYU’s Pro Day. It’s a chance for him to cement a spot as perhaps the second player off the board (behind Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence) in next month’s draft. Few had Wilson pegged for such greatness before the 2020 college season, but the 33rd Team’s Andrew Ford – our QB guru – did.

 

When asked last summer which lesser-hyped college quarterbacks might follow in the footsteps of former LSU QB Joe Burrow – who parlayed a monster 2019 season to go from draft afterthought to the No. 1 overall pick – Ford had Wilson at the top of his list.

 

At a time when the 2020 season still looked very much in doubt, here’s what Ford said about Wilson: “A 2020 season would have given him the chance to show how much he has improved and show NFL teams that he can play at a much higher and more consistent level … If BYU is able to field a full schedule this fall look for Wilson to be a guy that has a dominant season.”

 

Mission accomplished. Now that Wilson has made that meteoric rise, similar to Burrow, all that’s left is for Wilson to wow the scouts at his Pro Day.

 

We asked Ford what he thinks we’ll see from Wilson.

 

“What I expect to see out of Zach Wilson is a good mixture of throws from inside the pocket as well as on the move,” said Ford. “Everyone knows he can extend and make plays outside the pocket, but it will be important for him to show the league that he can be consistent in both footwork and accuracy with traditional 3-, 5-, 7- and 9-step drops on NFL style routes.

 

“Wilson throws a really nice deep ball and I would expect his camp to showcase that towards the end of the workout. I also think he will have put on a few extra pounds since the season ended, and will look more like an NFL QB physically. With a great showing tomorrow Wilson could solidify himself as the #2 QB in this class.”


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