When you watch Zach Wilson’s film at BYU last season, there are a lot of things that stand out – including how clean his uniform is.
Wilson was barely touched in 2020 as the Cougars played a weak schedule and had the luxury of playing behind a strong offensive line. Of all the questions that Wilson faced with the quality of the competition last year, one of the most legitimate questions could be that he had a film playing in college with someone on his face?
“That’s a fair question,” Jeff Grimes, who was BYU’s offensive coordinator last year and is now at Baylor. “He would sometimes eat sandwiches and stand there.”
Wilson was sacked a total of 11 times last season. There were six games when he was not dismissed. According to NFL Network, Wilson was dismissed once every 33 times. Conversely, Sam Darnold was sacked once every 12 times, the last season he returned.
The Jets invested in the offensive line last week with the selection of guard Aliza Vera-Tucker in the first round and they used their first-round pick to deal with Mekhi Becton last season, but the line is still in progress. Wilson will face more pressure if he plays as a cheater than he did at BYU.
The Jets quarterback has been in operation for the past decade. In his three seasons with the team, Darnold was sacked 30, 33 and 35 times. The last time the Jets quarterback was sacked at least 30 times in 2016 was not.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah said, “They all have to speed up a little bit because there was a pretty good pocket there for the most part.” “I have seen examples of him being able to navigate within the pocket. I have seen examples of him being able to take off and build once he is off. I think his operation is really fast. In other words, I don’t think he needs a lot of space around his feet to be able to run the ball. He does not have to put his feet in the ground to play football. I agree that there are no examples of a ton [Wilson facing pressure].
“But I saw him, even when there was pressure on his face, to deliver the ball accurately. He has found the answer. This is something that seeing it more would be an adjustment. To me, that answer has been found. He still needs more experience. “
Grimes, who has been with Wilson for his entire career at BYU, said that while the 2020 tapes do not see many examples of Wilson’s pressure, he has faced it in his career. He was dismissed as a sophomore 19 times and freshman 23 times. Grimes said Wilson is able to avoid pressure when needed.
“At other times in his career I have seen him under duress,” Grimes said. “We played USC and Washington and Tennessee and Wisconsin. I have seen him in that situation. He is a boy who makes. He is an artist playing quarterback. Sometimes standing back in the pocket for an excessive amount of the time. Sometimes, however, he is making her feel pressured and is making a play with her feet to either sideline. I think he does exceptionally well. Better than anyone I’ve seen, he throws on the run. “
Wilson’s stability also comes into play when you talk about sacking him. He underwent shoulder surgery in 2019 and even though he is 6-foot-2, 214 pounds, his frame is not large. Can he take the punishment he will absorb in the NFL? There was a change in Darnold’s season last season when his shoulder collapsed into the ground.
Grimes said Wilson would understand to avoid a big hit.
“I think an adjustment would be for him to figure out how to throw consistently over time,” Grimes said. He said, “He will be different from what he is accustomed to, but I know he will be okay with it because he is incredibly intelligent and he is a real fast thinker.” I know that he is going to apply himself by studying the game and if he gets pressure on him then he has to go with the ball. “
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