What Will The Jets Do At Quarterback?

/ New York Jets / By

By Nicholas Ragone

Let’s be honest Jets fans, 2020 was not our year. Every single one of us went into this season with hope that we had a franchise QB (myself included). All things considered, Sam Darnold impressed in 2019. After missing a quarter of the season due to mononucleosis, he returned and finished the season 7-6 (6-2 in the last 8 games) as the starting QB, despite a bottom ranking offensive line and low-quality position players. For the first time, Jets fans had hope. 

Then we went 2-14, missed out on Trevor Lawrence, and left ourselves with a massive Quarterback Quarrel: What will Joe Douglas and Co. do at QB? We know Sam Darnold isn’t the choice, he was traded to the Carolina Panthers for a 2022 2nd Rounder, a 2022 4th Rounder, and a 2021 6th Rounder. This all but confirms the suspicions that Jets fans have had all offseason: the New York Jets are drafting a QB with the 2nd pick.  

The 3 Top QB Prospects

With wins against the Rams and the Browns, the Jets took themselves out of the running for the number 1 pick, and thus, Trevor Lawrence. Lawrence is widely considered to be the best QB prospect in the draft, and is almost guaranteed to be selected first by the Jacksonville Jaguars on April 29th. For all intents and purposes, let’s assume that the draft starts with the 2nd pick in the draft. We will cover my top 3 QB prospects after T-Law: Zach Wilson, Justin Fields, and Trey Lance.

Option 1: Zach Wilson, BYU– Wilson broke out in a big way in the 2020 season, finishing the season with 43 total touchdowns (33 passing, 10 rushing), and only 3 interceptions. Wilson draws rave reviews from scouts, citing his immaculate arm talent, ability to make plays on the run, and the instincts to progress through his reads. Wilson is currently my QB2 behind only Trevor Lawrence for the reasons listed above. This may come off as a hot take, but I think the gap between TLaw and Wilson is smaller than the gap between Wilson and Fields. Wilson’s tape is very strong, and I believe that he projects to the pros better than Fields. He has the traits that you see a lot in the modern 

Houston Texans Draft: PFF projecting Zach Wilson as next QB
Zach Wilson in the Boca Raton Bowl, December 22nd, 2020

QB: arm strength, playmaking on the run, accuracy to all parts of the field, etc. He can make the plays that make you say “wow” from your couch. He is also a wizard under pressure. He has a very astute pocket awareness and can make plays despite being pressured. In 2020, Wilson had the 12th highest QB rating in the NCAA under-pressure. This is an area where he stands out as compared to Fields, Lance, and even Lawrence.

Option 2: Justin Fields, Ohio St.– Can we please stop the narrative that Justin Fields will be a bust because every QB from Ohio State is bad? Scout the QB, not the school. Fields is easily the most talented QB to ever attend the school. Of the major quarterbacks in this class, he is easily the most dynamic. No one is a better combination of arm and mobility than him. His Pro Day was the most impressive of any QB in this class. He ran a 4.40 40 yard dash, showcasing the blazing speed we’ve known him to have, and showcased an absolutely obscene arm. In terms of raw talent, you are not going to find someone better than Fields.

I mean, c’mon, that throw was off his back foot, and he chucked it 65+ yards downfield. I was enamored with Wilson’s pro day, and he made some spectacular passes, but my goodness, this throw by Fields’ might have been one of the best Pro Day passes ever. His Pro Day confirmed what we see on his film: he is very capable of making every single throw. His tape in the National Semifinal against Clemson will prove that. My concerns with Fields are his inconsistencies in 2020. He had some amazing games and some “meh” games. His National Championship performance was rough, but his offensive line and receivers all decided to take the game off, and he was clearly playing injured, so I will let that one slide. His performances against Indiana and Northwestern were both very concerning though. He showed a trigger happiness that led to costly turnovers, and an inability to progress through his reads. I feel like a fair share of this can be blamed on a very simple offense, but it is concerning nonetheless. When I watch him, I see a lot of Justin Herbert; amazing arm, but concerning tendencies. Fields can have a Herbert-esque season on the right team, but I do not see the Jets being said team. 

Why Justin Fields' historic test score is a big deal
Justin Fields in the Allstate Sugar Bowl, January 1st, 2021

Option 3: Trey Lance, North Dakota St.– If anyone’s draft stock was shafted by the COVID-19 pandemic, it was Trey Lance. Of all the QBs in the 2020 Draft with significant first round buzz, Lance is the only one who didn’t have a true 2020 season. He only played 1 game against Central Arkansas, where he finished 15-30 with 2 TDs and his only career INT. Granted, he also ran for 150 yards and added another 2 TDs on the ground. It wasn’t his best day, but 4 TDs and 300 total yards is not a bad performance by any sense of the word. I really believe that the only reason that Lance’s stock fell is recency bias. Lance burst onto the scene with a brilliant 2019 campaign, finishing the year with absolute video game numbers: 2786 Passing Yards on 67% completion, 42 Total TDs with 0 turnovers, while adding another 1100 yards on the ground. His concerns are similar to that of Zach Wilson in the sense that the competition that he played was far inferior to the competition that he will face in the NFL. I still do not believe that this is a fair take, as North Dakota State got destroyed in their first game without Trey Lance, so the talent that Lance played with is comparable to the talent he played against. He was drastically better than everyone around him and it is clear from his tape that he was the best player on the field. Lance can also struggle with ball placement. While he makes an accurate pass, it may not be to the ideal location. He doesn’t make those back-shoulder passes that the best NFL QBs make. Overall, Lance is raw. He only has 1, albeit impressive season under his belt. He has the talent, but it is likely that he will struggle initially. I think Lance’s ideal fit is a place where he can sit for a year. San Francisco at 3, and Atlanta at 4 both seem like great fits. He is a fit for the Jets offense, but I fear that he will be under immense pressure to start day 1, and I feel that this could hinder his development.

Trey Lance's showcase game leaves more questions than answers
Trey Lance vs Central Arkansas, October 3rd, 2020

Verdict

Ultimately, I think the pick will be Zach Wilson. Based on press conferences, it seems like this is a foregone conclusion. A lot of people believe the draft starts at the 3rd pick, because Trevor Lawrence is penciled into 1, and Zach Wilson is locked into 2. I personally believe that the Jets cannot go wrong with Justin Fields or Zach Wilson. They are both very talented prospects with their own very special skill sets. I have a slight preference for Wilson, but Fields is incredibly talented in his own right. Lance is pretty talented too, but I think Jets fans would riot if they took him over Fields and Wilson. At the end of the day, I am 99% sure that Zach Wilson will be the 2nd pick in the draft, and the new franchise quarterback of the New York Jets.