The devil you know …
Many New York Jets fans are hoping general manager Joe Douglas pulls the plug on quarterback Sam Darnold and uses the No. 2 pick overall in the 2021 NFL Draft to select a new franchise QB.
No one will try to argue that Darnold has lived up to the hype that came with him being the No. 3 pick overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
But how sure is Douglas that BYU’s Zach Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields is that much better than Darnold?
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero talked recently to “veteran evaluators across the NFL, from decision-makers to area scouts.” From those conversations, here are some possible red flags on Wilson and Fields.
Wilson
Will his body hold up?
Wilson “has an injury history, including a torn labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder suffered in high school that required surgery after his freshman season in 2018; a torn labrum in his left shoulder he said in 2019 would eventually require surgery; and a fractured right thumb that required surgery and sidelined him for over a month during the 2019 season. ‘Size and just durability’” an NFC executive said. ‘Can he last?’”
What kind of leader will he be?
“It’s a little bit of the Baker Mayfield syndrome, where you like [the edge] to a point,” an AFC executive said. “It’s just whether or not you can control it and toe the line.” Said an NFC exec of Wilson: “He was kind of a hothead early. There were some comments early on before he became a player about, did he endear himself to his teammates? Kind of a cocky kid, comes from money — what kind of leadership does he have? (But) this kid loves playing football. He’s a junkie of the process, which I’m a big fan of.”
Fields
How ready is he for the NFL game?
“It’s all the full-field read stuff and making decisions, just quickening up the pace,” an AFC scout said. “He’s one of those pre-programmed guys: When it’s clean and everything’s there, it’s easy for him. And he’s got arm talent. He can spin it deep. But it’s more blitz recognition and just seeing it.”
“It’s just going to require a commitment to an offensive system that’s going to tailor to his strengths,” an AFC executive said. “Asking him to drop back and read it and go through progressions — you’re asking for disappointment.”
What kind of leader will he be?
“Everybody vouches for him in a good way, at least his teammates,” a second NFC executive said. “They didn’t the first year — he came in kind of stoic, didn’t try to get to know the teammates very well, just wanted to win the job. But that changed this year. They love him. They think he’s a great leader and a great teammate.”
Wilson and Fields are expected to be the top quarterbacks on the board when the Jets draft at No. 2 overall, with the Jacksonville Jaguars selecting Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick.
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