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In the old days, two quarterbacks selected in the same draft class set up an instant rivalry for the remainder of their careers — especially if they were taken back-to-back.
The vibe around New York Jets’ and San Francisco 49ers’ youngsters Zach Wilson and Trey Lance was different on March 10, after a video surfaced of the two QBs training together in Los Angeles.
The workout was courtesy of speed trainer Les Spellman, and The SF Niners shared the feed of the two promising athletes on Twitter.
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Wilson & Lance Attempting Similar Feat
It’s not the first time Wilson and Lance have sought out the same assistance. In college, both signal-callers trained with John Beck — as well as Justin Fields and Kyle Trask from the 2021 class.
It does make sense. After all, the two are attempting a similar feat: Prove the world wrong.
Wilson and Lance were the two top quarterback prospects that came from smaller schools in BYU and North Dakota State. Yes, BYU is large for its conference but compared to an Alabama or a Clemson, it’s a clear step or two below.
Both were drafted more for what they could be, instead of what they would be on day one of their NFL journeys. It was expected that a player like Trevor Lawrence, Mac Jones or Fields might be more game-ready, being that they faced more NFL-caliber defensive talent than the others, but those raw traits stood out when it came to Wilson and Lance.
The pair can throw accurately on the move, improvise with the best of them, escape the pocket before taking off and by the way, both have an effortless cannon for an arm.
It should come as no surprise that the two coaches drafting these prospects come from the same school of thought. In fact, the duo worked together hand in hand from 2014 to 2020.
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49ers East Has a Championship Mindset
Robert Saleh said it from day one on the job, this team is going to win championships. Anything else is a failure and that mentality comes from Kyle Shanahan and San Francisco.
The NFL legacy was groomed to be a head coach from birth and Mike Shanahan influenced the LaFleur family and Saleh in a similar way. Pete Carroll also helped groom the Jets HC but the point is, these disciples have never known anything else. It’s all or nothing, build a winning culture or die trying.
With that general philosophy in mind, the Jets have also implemented similar schemes on both sides of the football. OC Mike LaFleur operates his take on the west coast system and DC Jeff Ulbrich brings a blend of Saleh’s “violent” Cover-3 Buzz (49ers, Seahawks, Jaguars influence) mixed with an Atlanta Falcons 4-3 that stemmed from Dan Quinn and Seattle.
Again, there’s no coincidence that they drafted similar quarterbacks to lead the way. Shanahan couldn’t get over the hump in San Fran with a top-tier defense and Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback.
No offense to the Niners starter but he’s a prototypical game manager and he’s proved it time and time again in big moments. That’s why San Francisco passed on Jones, who ended up in New England. They no longer want a guy that can get them to the dance, they want a superstar that can win it.
The Jets had the same ideas when they drafted Wilson. He was not the safe pick, but he was one of the prospects with the most potential. The only difference is that Lance was more sheltered his rookie campaign, while New York decided to get the BYU product in-game experience — for better or for worse.
Doing it all over again, Saleh and LaFleur might reconsider that last part but I guarantee they would not reconsider the pick. When hunting for a Super Bowl, there are no half-measures. If the situation is perfect, you can win with a Garoppolo, but you always have a better shot with a difference-maker. That’s the endgame for Wilson and Lance.
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