Prospect of the day!
Day #4:
Justin Fields vs. Zach Wilson
Position:
Quarterbacks
College: the
Ohio State University / Brigham Young University
Projected
Draft Class: 2021 (confirmed)
Projected
Draft Round: First (top 4, both)
Height: 6’3”
(both)
Weight: 227 / 209
BMI: 28.4 / 26.1
Pro
Comparison: Dak Prescott / Deshaun
Watson
My
thoughts on Justin Fields/Zach Wilson:
Where
to start on QBs that have been covered ad nauseum. I do not want to hammer on
the points that have already been driven into you about Justin Fields and Zach
Wilson, but rather compare them to one another as the consensus QB 2a and 2b.
Arms:
Both
have absolute cannons, so no knock on either prospect arm strength wise. Justin
fields has consistently shown a stronger arm than that of Zach Wilson. Again,
Zach Wilson has a massive arm, but Fields often manages to get balls further
down field than Wilson. However, Wilson has shown himself to have a higher
level of arm talent than Fields. Fields makes throws that are more technically
sound and more NFL ready. Occasionally, Fields makes throws that are flatter
than would be expected and turnover prone. However, these I don’t see these
issues as major red flags or anything that expert coaching couldn’t solve.
Athletic
Ability:
Another
area where both prospects have major ability. Fields clearly takes the edge here,
though. In this past year, Justin Fields averaged 4.7 yards per carry, where
Zach Wilson averaged 3.6. The variance between the two stems from several
different sources. Firstly, Fields is just a better runner. O-line play doesn’t
come in as a factor much, as (according to PFF) BYU’s O-Line ranked 2nd
in the country and OSU’s ranked 12th, without a ton of space between
them. The primary discrepancies stem from two sources: designed QB runs, and
time to runs. Ohio State drew up far more designed QB runs over the 2020 season
than BYU did. Of course, this is largely due to Field’s athletic ability, but it
does play a large role in the YPC discrepancy. Finally, reads leading to
time-to-run. Fields has a knack for only going to his first read. This meant
that he more frequently made the decision to scramble as it was often his
second option upon seeing his first read was locked up.
Vision
and Reads:
This is
the biggest difference between the two quarterbacks for me. Justin Fields tends
to lock onto his first read and often ignore third or even second reads that can
be wide open. This is obvious as OSU has elite receivers, backs, and an
excellent receiving tight end as well, who all often find themselves left
hanging and waiting for the ball. In my opinion, if he did not have his legs to
back him up, his TD/Int ratio would look much different. On the flipside, Wilson
makes NFL-level reads; quickly scanning and re-scanning his receivers down the
field. He is incredibly confident in his ability as well. However, I saw a few
plays where this could have led to issues. On one play, he got a little cute
and made a no-look shovel pass in his own red zone. This pass bounced off the defensive
end’s body and could have easily been a stupid pick-six, but luckily enough, his
running back caught it and made the first down.
Conclusion:
With
both of our QBs, they have small tweaks that need to be made in the NFL, but
nothing that sitting behind a veteran through training camp and most of an NFL
season will not fix. I do not buy in to the ‘OSU QBs can’t succeed’ narrative,
either. I think that both players will be franchise quarterbacks in the NFL,
given proper coaching, and can see both becoming perennial pro-bowlers. For the
time being, I have to give the edge to Zach Wilson. I think he possesses a
higher ceiling than that of Justin Fields and I also believe that he is at a
more NFL-ready level currently.
See For Yourself:
Justin Fields analysis from The QB School
on YouTube
Zach
Wilson analysis from The QB School
on YouTube
Justin
Fields vs Nebraska from kielpro88 on
YouTube
Zach
Wilson vs UTSA from kielpro88 on
YouTube
/https%3A%2F%2Fspecials-images.forbesimg.com%2Fimageserve%2F5ff2a70128e417a9df2b1424%2F0x0.jpg "credit: Forbes")
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