You're one of my fav's as well. It's not that I hate Wilson or don't think he's a good prospect. I think he has a list of red flags that are in the "potential cardinal sins" list...as in...even one of these things will get a GM fired..let alone having 3 or 4. -1 year of elite production during an extremely unique season. And not just no fans in stands & altered schedules. These teams that played practiced in split squads, did all their meetings over zoom, extremely limited walk throughs, obv revolving door of guys available to play & not to play. This was anything but normal for anyone. It can't be taken fully at face value. For this to be his coming out party...has to raise some eyebrows - Injury history. And not turf toe or a bum ankle...tangible hardware that will affect a QB if there are residuals...which for those injuries their typically are. - Character whispers- I can even remove the peril from this just for the sake of compromise. Ive watched his interviews. i watch a ton of prospect interviews. I think he's a good kid...even say a great kid. Super smart. Funny. But do I think he's an elite leader/field general or perhaps even an above average one for the QB? No. Think he's run of the mill Leadership from that position for THIS team is extremely paramount. So why aren't we talking about this more?? So look at all these concerns & then watch the game tapes. Have watched 5 games of his twice...likely 7 different games total..Do i see enough undeniable ELITE level traits to A. Offset the red flags from above B. Utilize a # 2 overall pick C. Make this guy the first ever draft pick & the face of change for this franchise VS. any number of other scenarios See good throws. See GOOD arm. See GOOD athleticism. But nothing elite. MAYBE his release at least at the pro day? It was slightly elongated on alot of his tape so even that maybe a wash. He's a first round Quarterback. This Mahomes, turn down ANY trade package,Turn a blind eye to all the red flags & Broadway Zach is cringeworthy IMO. If people wanna take the guy still fine. But at least be realistic in terms of what this guy is..To be fair the media has not helped. But then again..there have been analysts who have been underwhelmed & folks write them off as well. It's become looking for affirmation rather than information/research
Well thank goodness for the sake of variety that Wilson does not have a monopoly on impressive throws on tape. https://twitter.com/buckoffpod/status/1257013899913764864?s=21 https://twitter.com/grahamtsfn/status/1361488001742761984?s=21
What exactly do you see in these videos? Video 1 is frequently a pick in the NFL. He will be playing the Houston Texans, not Houston University. Video #3 he is forcing the ball into double coverage, especially on the second throw when there is a man open underneath. It easy to make bad choices against a team you are 28 point favorites against.
He's certainly got an arm, and a lot of other great qualities, which is why I wouldn't jump off the roof if he was the pick. But the majority of Wilson supporters aren't trashing Fields, the way Fields supporters seem to be trashing Wilson. Frankly, if there's a QB who should be taken down a peg or two, it should be Lawrence. Has anyone mentioned that he's had labrum surgery as a concern? Or that much of his accuracy and completion stats are inflated because of the heavy short passing and screens Clemson uses? The point is they all have "red flags", every QB does.
When Fields KOed Clemson and even after a decent, though not spectacular, showing while not 100% against Alabama, I was saying I would be happy with Fields and was glad to have #2 overall pick. This combination of athleticism, accuracy, size, arm strength, mobility, dual threat ability just doesn't come around that often. I still think he could have gone #1 in most drafts since Luck, including over Murray, given Murray's small stature. At that time I have not yet watched full tape on Wilson. After watching the tape, reviewing all advanced passing stats, which are literally ranked as the best overall in NCAA history by PFF, and having QB aficionados, like Simms, Jenkins, and JT O'Sullivan confirm what I was thinking, and finally having Zach measure out well (big potential red flag removed), for me he moved ahead of Fields as far as giving us the best chance at FQB.
So, what you're saying is that after watching Wilson make multiple tight window throws, that he wouldn't be able to adjust his pass to fit it into a tight window in the NFL? IOW: He's learned to adjust his throwing at every level he's played at, and has demonstrated elite arm strength, quickness, and accuracy, but he wouldn't be able to use any of those traits to adjust to the NFL? Seriously? As for "forcing the ball into double coverage", if I had a dollar for every time a great NFL QB did that, I would have retired to the Caribbean a long time ago. Now, I'll just stand back so as to not get hit by the ricochet of my words bouncing off your closed mind.
I’ve yet to see Wilson be “trashed” from my perspective. Still I come at it as more pro Fields than anti Wilson; though the hype has me baffled. Also not all flags are red & not everyone’s flag color schemes are the same. For example, “processing speed” seems to hold a lot of weight to many this year both as a positive for Wilson & negative for Fields. It doesn’t to me because I would expect a 3 year starter in the same offense to make quicker reads. The NFL is going to be a reset for both anyway. Not to mention the fact that there are good & bad QBs on both sides of the snap to throw spectrum.
I'm not doubting his throws. We hear about his throwing arm every thread. I'm questioning his decision making against weak defenses. I wont argue that my mind is closed in the sense that I can't defend the notion that this player is worth our most valuable draft pick we've had in decades, after our worst decade in history. If I had a dollar for every time a college prospect threw great passes I would have retired to the Caribbean a long time ago as well. We can make a highlight reel of great throws from all prospects. But we should also look at it in context.
6'3" is the average, and Wilson is below that, but it is important he cleared 6'2", as "It seems the minimum height for an efficient quarterback, on average, appears to be 6’2"". Of course there are example of shorter guys succeeding, big guys failing, but in average, 6'2" looks to be the mark to hit to be efficient, as outlined in the article. Wilson cleared that, and literally minutes after he did, 49ers sent a haul for #3 overall, presumably Lawrence, Wilson, or Fields. Coincidence? Maybe, maybe not. Too much of a coincidence if you ask me. People were worried he was the size of Manziel. When he came in at 6'2" 214lb, 9 1/2 hand, the size concern has gone away.
You'll get no argument from me on that. Fields has definitely made some awesome throws. That's definitely not a concern with him. IMO Wilson and Fields have the two best arms in the draft when one considers both accuracy and arm strength. Lawrence has a strong arm, but isn't that accurate. Lance has a very strong arm, maybe the strongest in this draft class, but is the least accurate. Jones is very accurate, but has the weakest arm of the group.
I’m more concerned about weight than height more specifically the weight for the height. At 6’2” I’d prefer he was 220+ especially since he has a bit of an injury history & I’ve seen him put his body in harms way. But that’s just me. EDIT: I’m pretty sure he bulked up for the predraft process. Can he even sustain 214 as his playing weight?
Nonsense. The 1st throw could be intercepted in the NFL, but the throw is high where his WR had the best shot of catching it or it goes out of bounds. It would have taken a tall CB with tighter coverage and excellent leaping ability to make an interception. That is not forcing the ball into double coverage. His receiver had both defenders beat, and he led the WR. The ball is where only the WR can get to it. It's a complettion or an incompletion.
Sorry if I came across as painting you with that brush because that wasn't my intention. You've been fair in your assessments, even if we disagree. And I understand the urge to go over the top for some other posters in response to what is certainly a runaway train of hype for Wilson. But most of the posters who like Wilson have acknowledged his "flags" of whatever hue, and also have acknowledged that Fields (and Lance and Jones) are good options - better options that sticking with Darnold for sure, whereas the Wilson Bashers just seem to want to paint him as fool's gold. Maybe he is, but it comes across as one-sided and biased. As to the processing speed issue. From what I've seen I can't tell if Fields issue is because of the scheme and the plays they run, or if he's just slower at reacting. What I can say is that Wilson just seems to be much quicker, and quicker to diagnose what's happening and making adjustments. Part of this may be his hyper-focus in preparing for his opponents. That excerpt I snipped out of the Peter King article that TDK posted highlights this. If Wilson doesn't have a photographic memory, he's got the next best thing. I mean to have been able to watch film, read scouting reports, and commit it to memory in less than 40 hours before you play a team is impressive. IDK how many other QBs would put that effort in AND be successful at it. But if he can recall a team's tendencies in crunch time like that, it's no surprise that he can read and react so quickly. So maybe this "quickness" is a learned thing more than a natural ability, but I suspect it's both. In any case, I have no doubt that because of his work ethic and natural ability he's going to succeed in the NFL
When I speak of hype, it more so the draft pundits. Fans will be fans. Often times fans follow the draft “experts” lead. Like it or not they have a lot of influence (see Mahomes). With regards to processing speed, all I can say is that their some bad QBs that get rid of the ball quickly & good ones that tend to hold on to the ball & visa versa. My favorite QBs in the league right now lean towards the hold on to the ball side. So I don’t put as much stock on it provided the prospect reaches a certain baseline threshold. All these top QB prospects meet that; so I’m good on that.
He is still young at 21, he will have NFL trainers, facilities, it will his full time job now with all access. People tend to gain given the age and these resources, particularly these that haven't workout out much before. I think given where he is now he should be able to maintain 215-220 with relative ease. Btw, take a look at these Jenkins tapes I posted, if you have time, let me know what you think if you do.
It's not even remotely the same thrown. On this one the receiver is only about 30 yards and is almost directly straight in front of Darnold when he throws the ball. With Wilson's the throw was 57 yard, and the WR was much more to the right.
And with stupid comments like he made trying to compare the Darnold throw to the Wilson throw, he'll never get a GM job, nor should he.
Is he? I am craving so much draft content right now and I am reading a lot of takes on QB and many people are very mad about his hype. They bring up his loss against Coastal Carolina and ridiculize him about it or they somehow feel like to bring more attention to Fields they need to take shot at Wilson. I am not sure if all draft season are like that but their seem to be clearly 2 opposite views or 3 views. 1) Love Fields, Hate Wilson, 2) Indiferent to all QB but prefer Wilson and 3) Mel Kiper, Darnold should be #1 overall crowd (or the Sam's Club) The funniest thing is that 3 years from now.. we will all forget about what has been said and move on to the next draft class in the same maner. It must have been crazy too here in 2018 when evaluating the QB.
