https://www.thedraftscout.com/p/matt-millers-scouting-notebook-re?justPublished=true I found this article interesting. Matt Miller took a poll from scouts and executives about the 2021 QB class and how they ranked them thus far--unfortunately it echoed exactly what I've been feeling about where Wilson stands right now. This last portion of the season is going to be a monumental moment for Wilson, as well as the Jets franchise.
What the article doesn't say is that none of the QB's, with the exception of Lawrence, was worth a high draft pick. We wouldn't be having the conversations about how good these guys are if they had been drafted at appropriate slots.
Desperate teams are mostly bad teams and reaching for a QB makes that worse not better. Each of the Jets reaches at QB has led to another reach within a few years. They have to find a way to break that pattern. They have to find some patience in the draft process. It feels really good to make a positive assertion at the first opportunity in each draft when you need a QB. However taking a guy just because you need him is the worst way to fail at NFL drafting. It’s like rule #1 of drafting: never reach for a guy because you need what he offers. The Jets keep doing this at the game’s most important position and it is killing the franchise over the years.
The Johnsons listen to the fans and if this forum is anything to judge by, Jets fans are not capable of patience.
Not for nothing, but this is a really stupid article. It claims injury history was a concern for Zach Wilson. Zach Wilson had an injured arm and hand in college. He got completely twisted up on a bullshit hit and hurt his knee. I don't quite understand the correlation between then two. It's also really dumb to make a full assessment of a QB in his rookie year with half a season under their belt. Outside of Mac Jones, all the rookie qbs have been bad. Even last night you had the announcers claiming Mac Jones was going to be Belichick's QB for the next 15-20 years. How the fuck can you make that determination after 11 games? I have no idea what the future holds for any of these kids, but articles like this infuriate me when they come halfway through their rookie season. So many QBs were written off or anointed King after their rookie season, only to completely flip the script. Josh Allen was ruled a bust his rookie year. Winston was going to be the next biggest thing. Mayfield was the biggest regret of every team that passed on him. Now there are articles questioning if the Browns need to move on. The list goes on and on. Did the Jets reach for Wilson? Probably, but I think it was a good gamble and one I'd take every time again. I love his potential and I think he could be great. The part that scares me is this organization and their ability to allow him to blossom. Next offseason is going to be make or break. One thing has proven true, you can't win in free agency, but the Patriots proved it can greatly help your rookie QB. The Jets need to spend and spend big. They also need to draft and continue to find guys like Carter, Hall, Moore, and AVT.
Yeah…the “can’t miss” prospects are few and far between….I’m thinking Peyton then Luck then Lawrence…those guys were pretty much consensus can’t miss guys. Not many in the last 20 years. I was lukewarm on Wilson only because he had one good year at a smaller school in a COVID year against weak competition…he has good raw skills though so definitely potential. But his play so far is showing that it’s a HUGE step from BYU to the NFL. The last guy who really did it was Steve Young, and he sat for years behind Montana. to me, it’s more a worry that our fucking team has historically had NO CLUE how to develop a QB. JD seems to at least prioritize it by drafting OL in round 1 two years in a row, and drafting WR early two years in a row, and also drafting RB. He’s trying. Whether these guys pan out we’ll see, but he clearly is focusing on it, unlike the morons who came before him. that’s why I don’t get the posts claiming he has no plan. Clearly he does. Shed bad contracts. Build through the draft. Draft offense to surround the new QB. Idzik had the same plan but fully botched almost every single draft pick he made. JD hasn’t been perfect by a long shot, and I expected this team to be better than it is after two and half years running the show, but he has a solid plan and he’s drafted better than the last few clowns we’ve had for GMs.
It is funny to me that people are always so eager to react to the last weekend of the NFL as if “finally we have clarity on the league and all of it’s players” When people “redrafted” the 2018 QB class halfway through their rookie season, how many people do you think would have had a list that looked something like this: 1. Baker Mayfield 2. Sam Darnold 3. Josh Rosen 4. Josh Allen 5. Lamar Jackson And then by Week 17 of that year: 1. Baker Mayfield 2. Sam Darnold 3. Lamar Jackson 4. Josh Allen 5. Josh Rosen And now how dumb do those lists look?
Nothing like re-drafting a QB class 10 weeks into their professional careers!! Miller must be getting desperate for clicks.
Another evil of overreaching is the 2-3 follow on drafts of ignoring the QB class. When we took Sam, we didn't even evaluate QBs in the next few drafts. Same with Nacho. Now with Zack, JoeD won't even look at the 2022 QB class, even though we'll be well in reach of taking a good QB. It's the Hackenburg syndrome.
What scouts did they speak to? The Jets' scouts don't agree with this. I'm not saying Wilson will definitely be a success. I'm just saying it's a small sample of scouts and I'm sure not all scouts agree.
You can't be sure of that. If Wilson is terrible on the field and in practice, they may draft another QB. I don't think that will happen though. Wilson is much better than Hack.
What difference does it make what scouts he talked to? It seems like he asked five guys for opinions and went from there to report what they said. It's a very small sample size and means nothing in the grand scheme of things; it's certainly not something to lose any sleep over. The one thing that stands out in your post though is your claim that the Jets scouts don't agree. Have you seen anything that leads you to say that or are you just sharing your opinion?
Indeed that will provide a more accurate judgement but taking current a snap shot is OK too. It’s a current assessment based on their performance and not a prognostication on what they will become. The draft is essentially the same thing. The best QB in the class is often not the one deemed best on draft day. If Wilson was at the top of the list, his stans would be taking victory laps, while his detractors would be tempering them down. It is what it is.
Here is the snapshot for those interested. Other than Mac Jones, who I believe is on the best team, they all have been pretty bad. I'm just going by stats though. You have to look at the "hidden production."
I guess this so called “hidden production” is becoming trendy among the NFL community as it seems folks are suddenly changing their rankings from just a few months ago. Maybe when Wilson is healthy we’ll start to get some of that “hidden production” love too.