No Zach Wilson? Jets Land New Star In ESPN’s 2021 NFL Re-Draft

Zach Wilson hasn’t exactly lived up to the hype in his first two seasons with the New York Jets.

Sure, he’s shown flashes from time to time. But it’s mostly been a bumpy ride for the young quarterback, to the point where the Jets recently benched him in favor of Mike White.

So, would the Jets still select Wilson if awarded a do-over in the 2021 NFL Draft?

Common sense suggests probably not. Even if the Jets remain high on Wilson’s potential — head coach Robert Saleh continues to pump the QB’s tires — and view him as a potential franchise cornerstone, there simply are better, more proven players from the ’21 draft class.

ESPN.com on Wednesday published a column re-drafting the top 15 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, with analysts Matt Miller and Jordan Reid alternating selections (based on the draft order entering Round 1). Miller opined the Jacksonville Jaguars still would choose quarterback Trevor Lawrence at No. 1 overall, but Reid believes the Jets would go in a different direction rather than settle for Wilson at No. 2.

The Jets’ new pick, per Reid: quarterback Justin Fields.

Robert Saleh Thinks Zach Wilson ‘Going To Be Good Quarterback’ For Jets

Dec 19, 2022

Here’s what Reid wrote:

The Jets get a chance to right their pick here. Fields just surpassed the 1,000-yard mark as a rusher in Chicago, but imagine him with this ascending roster and in a Mike LaFleur offense that keeps a quarterback on schedule with a lot of easy throws. He still has much to prove as a passer, but his development could lead to great things. Having him under center would change this team’s trajectory with an exciting dual-threat orchestrating the offense.

Wilson’s time with the Jets has been complicated. He has thrown 15 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions in 21 career starts, and he was benched last month before returning in Week 15 because of Mike White’s injury. He has completed just 55.4% of his passes over the past two seasons.

The Chicago Bears selected Fields after trading up to No. 11, a pick previously held by the New York Giants. Fields, like Wilson, had some early NFL hiccups, but he’s since blossomed into a star, giving Chicago reason to believe it’s found its QB of the present and future.

Lawrence, Wilson and Fields are three of five quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, with Trey Lance (San Francisco 49ers) and Mac Jones (New England Patriots) being the other two. Only Lawrence and Wilson went in the first 15 picks of ESPN’s re-draft.

The top five of the ESPN re-draft — which took into account team needs and player performance to date — also includes linebacker Micah Parsons, wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and offensive tackle Rashawn Slater.