Zach Wilson

Zach Wilson Scouting Report

  • Watched: UTSA (2020), Houston (2020), Texas State (2020), Boise State (2020)
  • Pros:
    • Adjusts his arm angle with ease.
    • Very quick release.
    • When he isn’t playing backyard football, he shows flashes of good timing and anticipation with his throws.
    • Always has his eyes up even when on the run or dealing with pass rushers.
    • Trusts his WRs to win when the ball is in the air, throws a lot of fades, back-shoulders, etc.
    • Has that Manziel/Kyler/Mahomes play-maker magic.
    • Pretty good elusiveness both in the pocket and in the open field.
    • Showed flashes of full-field reads.
  • Cons:
    • Inconsistent footwork, looks more concerned with throwing the ball than taking the time to throw it well.
    • Not ideal size, though we’ve seen QBs of his size have more success recently.
    • When he misses, he generally throws it behind his WR (both on vertical and horizontal routes).
    • Looks to run a fair amount but not sure he’s fast enough for it to be a real weapon in the NFL.
    • Tendency to drift back in the pocket rather than climbing it.
    • Very lazy in selling play-action.
  • General:
    • Takes snaps under center occasionally.
    • Doesn’t make adjustments at the line.
  • Overall Take:
    • Pro-readiness: 3rd (out of 8)
    • Potential: 4th
    • Overall: 4th
    • Number Grade (out of 100): 84
    • Zach Wilson was a really fun study and I’m already wondering if my grade for him will prove to be too low. He has a very quick release, reminiscent of guys like Tony Romo and Jimmy Garoppolo. His highlights are just beautiful, showing flashes of great touch, play-making ability, and tight-window throws. Outside the highlights, things are a bit muddier. His footwork is very inconsistent. When people talk about marrying your feet to your progressions, Zach Wilson is not the example you should follow; he often just throws the ball the instant he sees his target rather than setting his feet and making a good throw. This results in a tendency to throw the ball behind his target, forcing vertical receivers to cut off their route and come back to the ball or forcing crossing receivers to contort their body to reach back for it. The laziness isn’t reserved for just his feet either; he half-heartedly sells his play-action fakes and sometimes mistimes the play-action entirely (i.e. faking a jet sweep after the motioning WR is already 5 yards away) and gets sloppy with handling snaps and handing the ball off. At the end of the day, Wilson has some special traits that make me think I could be selling his ceiling a little short, but I’m going to stick to my guns here. He’s a reasonably safe prospect with a reasonably high ceiling, but neither the floor or ceiling are high enough for me to give a top 15 pick grade.
  • NFL Comparisons:
    • Most Likely Comp: Jake Plummer
    • Peak Comp: Less mobile Kyler Murray