Wrong! Look again. Yes, on some snaps, the protection was solid, but on others his linemen were getting pushed back in his face immediately and/or rushers were coming free, and he was having to maneuver in the pocket. The thing is, he kept his eyes downfield, made quick decisions and got the ball out quickly. He didn't have that long. Watch again and count the seconds. I watched every snap and timed how long it took him to get the pass off. On most snaps he threw the ball within 2-3 seconds. Only on 3 snaps was it 4 seconds, and two of those he was under heavy pressure and running to escape the pressure. On the snap he was sacked, it was 2 seconds. A QB can't get the ball out much faster than that. Noam has it right. It's Wilson's ability to make quick decisions and get the ball out quickly that makes it look like he had good protection, but he really doesn't. On most of the snaps, if he had held the ball as long as Sam, he would have taken sacks. There is no comparison. Sam can only dream of playing QB as well as Wilson. Those who are for rolling with Sam are either blinded with emotion and feel that the Jets owe Sam something, or they have zero clue what they're looking at when they watch a QB play.
I agree processing speed and getting the ball out fast are the two most important qualities a QB can have. Often Wilson gets rid of the ball so fast that many times it does not matter what the rush is like but in about a third to half of the plays in that video there is a strong rush which Wilson neutralizes with a side step, step up or simply by quickly releasing the ball. If he can process and get the ball out this quickly at the pro level he will make our OL look very good regardless of how bad they are.The question is can he process and get and the ball out this fast when his receivers are covered by NFL defenders and the windows are much tighter. But, regardless, I love how he quickly he makes decisions and the ball is instantly gone.I like Sam but his is indecision and holding the ball is even more painful after watching Wilson.
Right on the money. IMO the corollary to the bold is that QBs that are slower at processing information in College do not translate well at all at the NFL level.
FTR I don’t dislike Wilson. I just believe Fields is the better prospect. If I’m wrong, that’s what I will be wrong about. Though I did point out many times that Sam had some Ryan Fitzpatrick in him, I didn’t dislike him. Still like the kid & root for him. I just thought Allen was the better prospect. Same situation here. Both can end up being very good QBs but IMO it’s about getting the best QB prospect when you are in position to do so.
Processing speed often times is a learned skill that comes with many reps particularly in the SAME offense.
He had a completely clean pocket the entire season. In most of the clips everyone's praising, he's "sliding" away from pressure that's 6 yards away from him. Processing time looks great when you have five seconds to heave the ball down field.
He's almost certain to have an adjustment period to the speed and ability of NFL DBs, but the important thing is this. He has a much better chance at being able to do this at the NFL level than any other QB in this draft, and most likely the 2022 draft, and maybe even the 2023 draft. If someone cannot process quickly at the collegiate level, they stand almost no chance of being able to do it in the NFL against more complex Ds, where coverages are disguised and as you said, the DBs are faster and better, and coverages much tighter. I truly believe he can do it. That's why even though the thought of trading down and taking Jones is or Lance or Fields is enticing from a team-building perspective, it's the wrong move. QBs that can process and get the ball out quickly like Wilson don't come along every day. I think he's Brady-like in that regard. He is simply too great a QB prospect to pass up. His size is a concern. Hopefully our new training regime will get him bulked up, but JD HAS to build at very good OL to ensure that Wilson stays upright and healthy. Even if he does the right thing and drafts Wilson, if he doesn't build the OL in front of him to protect him, then he possibly should be fired for malfeasance and neglect.
I think it's true that reps certainly help increase processing speed, or at least should, but imo, this is an aspect of talent that some QBs have, but many do not. Their minds just don't work that fast. Now maybe they don't work hard enough or the CSs don't give them enough reps, but very few QBs in the NFL seem to get the ball out very quickly.
It's not hype. I didn't read it anywhere. It's what I see with my own eyes. On that vide of all the snaps from that game. On most of the snaps, he was throwing the ball within 2-3 seconds of the snap. That's not hype. It's reality.
While I agree with this, I also believe that it's something you're born with - some have better awareness than others. These are the athletes that are usually at the top of their sport. I liken it to a "sixth sense" that they're born with. I have absolutely no proof of this theory, but it's based on my observations of athletes for almost 6 decades, and coaching youth sports at a high level.
I agree. I think that's part of "instinct" or what makes players look "instinctual." They're just on another level than the rest of players at their position in that aspect.
So we're just about one quarterback away from reaching the Mount Rushmore of comparisons for Wilson. Brady, Mahomes, Rodgers. Who will be the last one?
Respectfully disagree with this. I think some guys' brains just work more quickly than others. I can't think of many QB's that came into the league with questions about their decision making and ended up significantly improving that in the NFL where everything happens more quickly. This ties in with the thing I don't like about Fields - he has a tendency to panic when his first read or two don't work out. When that happens he's either quick to tuck and run or tends to make bad decisions throwing the ball into multi coverage. Can he get better at this in the NFL? Maybe, but I think it's more likely the problem will be exacerbated since the game moves more quickly and defenses are more complex. He'll also have less of an athleticism advantage over defenders when he chooses to run in the NFL. We talk a lot about not scouting the helmet/school, and in general I agree. With that said, I don't think we can discount the Ohio State thing completely. The fact of the matter is their system is extremely QB friendly. Go look at Haskins' stats when he was there and how poorly he's translated to the league. Now, their system is apparently more pro-style with Fields but how much more? It would have to be a lot for it not be a concern, and I'm not sure it's a lot different than it was with Haskins. I'm not saying Fields cannot process the game at the speed he will need to in the pros, I'm just saying there's a lot of reason to think he hasn't had to do it a whole lot in college. That's a valid concern to me.
He doesn't remind me of Brady. I actually like Wilson. Hey oh! He reminds me of Drew Brees too with his size and quick decisions. So Brady, Brees, Mahomes and Rodgers rolled up into one.
Here's what I think is a very good, in depth article on Wilson, and why he's risen up the charts. It's long, but worth the read: Zach Wilson’s Transformation From Draft Afterthought to Headliner - The Ringer A couple of things that I'll highlight: 1. This addresses his arm strength. Many who have jumped on the Wilson Wagon gush about his arm strength, but I've said all along that while it's plenty strong, it's not in the class of Mahomes, Allen, or Rodgers. However it's arguably the strongest in this class, certainly strong enough to make every throw in the NFL. "But Wilson isn’t without flaws, and how teams evaluate his arm strength will determine where he goes in the draft. After analyzing Wilson’s BYU career, Football Outsiders’ Derrik Klassen says Wilson’s “cool, gunslinger mechanics” and quick release can make it seem as though he’s firing the ball faster than it’s actually leaving his hand. “I think his arm is way over the baseline,” Klassen says. “He’s not gonna have any issues doing anything in the NFL. But to me, his arm is maybe slightly better than Baker Mayfield’s, which is still more than good enough to do everything you need to do on an NFL field. But I think people see some of the outside-the-pocket stuff and instantly think, ‘Oh, he has Aaron Rodgers, or Patrick Mahomes, or Matt Stafford–type of velocity and arm strength.’ Those are top-five [arms] in the NFL. And while Wilson has a good arm, I don’t think it’s like that.” 2. While his arm strength isn't legendary, coupled with his ability to alter his arm angle and his touch and his ball placement, that's where he gets into elite range: "Wilson has been working with QB coach John Beck of 3DQB since his freshman year at BYU. Beck immediately recognized Wilson’s talent during their first training session. The longtime trainer, who attended BYU in the early 2000s and spent six seasons in the NFL, noticed that Wilson possessed a tantalizing ability to whip the ball and contort his arm to fit almost any angle. Beck says those “funny-body throws” are an element of Wilson’s game that the QB routinely works on and is refining. “For most people, that looks like when all of a sudden everything breaks down, they’ve got to take off and try to make a play and they’re just trying to, in the moment, make it work,” Beck says. “Where it looks like with Zach, he just kind of does this as if he’s already done it 100 times. And it’s truly because he has. He’s practiced that way.” 3. Then add into the above, his accuracy at ALL distances and regardless of coverage: "Wilson reminds Klassen a bit of Romo, whose swashbuckling style sustained a surprisingly long and successful NFL career. Wilson’s mobility plays a role in that comparison, but it’s the BYU signal-caller’s accuracy, at every level, that’s arguably his best trait. “His deep ball is obviously fantastic and I think he probably has the best in this class,” Klassen says. “And I think if you need to fit a tight window over the middle—like if he’s throwing a dig or a Y-Cross [concept]—he can hit that just fine. If you need him to throw something in a bucket 25 yards down the field, he can do that. He’s also a fantastic quick-game passer.” 4. I'll let you all read the whole article, but this is one non-football-specific trait that I think is key: Last spring during the pandemic shut down, and no spring practices, Wilson drove 6 hours multiple times to work with his QB coach Beck in California. In addition, he worked gigs as a DoorDash driver to pay his expenses. This completely contradicts, and should explode, all the bullshit "spoiled rich kid" memes out there. Beck is a highly regarded QB Coach: Beck works with the likes of Matt Ryan, Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, and Justin Herbert. And one final note: Wilson is a sports junkie and has worked his ass off from when he was a kid up until now. Contrast that work ethic with the current Jets QB (and I've supported Darnold all along). No one will outwork this kid.
I'm inclined to agree. When I compared him to Jones, most of the time Wilson had an even cleaner pocket then Jones. Really the only time we can point to him playing a worthy opponent is against Coastal Carolina, where he finished with a QB rating of 68. That is the only competent defense we can measure him against.
