It is fair to say that New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson had a disappointing rookie season.
He threw more interceptions (11) than touchdowns (9) and struggled to find consistency throughout the 2021 campaign.
At the backend of the season, the former BYU stud was able to stop the turnover problem, but there is still a ton of room for improvement.
In reality, the Jets are stuck with Wilson but in a hypothetical re-draft scenario they recently had the chance to change the course of history.
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Well That Would Be Interesting
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report was recently tasked with re-drafting the entire first round of the 2021 class.
In Knox’s scenario, he had the Jets going in a different direction with the No. 2 overall pick:
“In the redraft, the Jets go with a more polished passer in Alabama’s Mac Jones. The former Crimson Tide star finished with 22 touchdown passes, a 92.5 rating, and a Pro Bowl appearance as a rookie.”
Mac Jones walking like a high school administrator who needs to break up a fight in the cafeteria
Jones ended up going to New England with the No. 15 overall pick and found success both as an individual and with his team:
- 10-7 record and made the playoffs
- 3,801 yards with a 22 touchdown to 13 interception ratio
While the former Alabama star certainly had a better season than Wilson in every major statistical regard, it is fair to wonder how Jones would’ve fared on a much less talented Jets team?
In all honesty, Jones’ lack of mobility and improvisational skills would’ve got him in trouble on this Jets offense. Wilson having both of those traits actually helped him turn several bad plays into halfway decent ones.
It is easy to play Monday morning quarterback after the fact and say this player would’ve been better than this player, but the situation around you plays a much larger role than people talk about.
That Is Kind of Hilarious
So where did Wilson end up going in this scenario?
Funny enough he fell all the way to the No. 8 overall pick which was owned by none other than the Carolina Panthers:
“In a somewhat ironic twist, the Carolina Panthers look to replace quarterback Sam Darnold with Wilson—which is precisely what the Jets did a year ago. The trade for Darnold was a failure.”
When Sam Darnold found out that the #Jets were planning to move on from him last year, he told Joe Douglas, ‘I think you guys are making a mistake’ 👀 🎥 @BussinWTB, @TaylorLewan77 #TakeFlight #NFL
The Jets made the decision to move on from Sam Darnold and take a quarterback with the no. 2 overall pick (what ended up being Wilson).
While the former USC passer got a fresh start with the Panthers, unfortunately, it hasn’t worked out thus far.
Although the good news for Darnold is the Panthers have no other choice. After swinging and missing on several quarterbacks this offseason, Carolina might be stuck with him as their starting passer next season.
Regardless of whether or not they select a quarterback with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, they will be stuck with Darnold’s contract.
Shortly after trading for him from the Jets, they accepted his fifth-year option for 2022 which was a fully guaranteed $18.9 million contract.
The Jets had an additional first-round pick that they used to trade up to acquire Alijah Vera-Tucker. However in this re-draft scenario, all draft day trades were wiped off of the board, so with the No. 23 overall pick, the Jets selected another former Alabama star in Najee Harris.
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Wild Re-Draft Scenario Has Jets Swapping out Zach Wilson