1. Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
Yes, I understand he is likely to be the second overall pick. Yes, I understand the allure with Zack Wilson. I just personally am as willing to buy in on Wilson as many, especially in this quarterback class. Now to start off, Wilson does have a first round grade for me but it is a late first and he sits at QB4, with a slight gap between him and QB3 (which is Trey Lance for those wondering).
Let’s start with the positive first though. Wilson is a very exciting prospect who is a blast to watch. He almost is at his best working outside of structure when the play around him breaks down. He brings plus accuracy, a good arm, and exciting playmaking traits to the table. He is mobile, and like I said before works great outside of structure. Wilson brings all the traits you for in a franchise quarterback, hence why he still carries a first round grade from me.
You see while Wilson brings a lot of the traits you want in a franchise quarterback, they are traits his fellow running mates in Trey Lance and Justin Fields also bring to the table, to the same caliber or in multiple instances at a higher degree. Wilson has great arm strength but his arm talent is no more impressive than Lance’s and can be comparable to Fields. Wilson is mobile, but again Lance and Fields are more functional in what they can achieve with their mobility. Wilson is fairly accurate, but Fields is perhaps the most accurate in the class and Lance has comparative accuracy.
A lot is said about Fields and his inability to make progressions. While that statement is not true in the slightest I actually have more worries with Wilson’s ability to work progressions and anticipate routes much more than I am with the one who actually gets criticized for it. Wilson ran a ton of one-read things at BYU and while he showed the ability to work progressions and understand what he was seeing he did not do so at a consistent level.
Wilson also currently struggles to anticipate routes and throw wide receivers open. What I mean by this is that Wilson rarely hit receivers in stride or released the ball until the receiver was fully out of the break and sitting in position, often to receivers who were uncovered.