NFL

Zach Wilson Brings Huge Upside to the Jets

Wilson has tantalizing fantasy football upside and is coming off a stellar final college season. What will he do on the Jets?

It was the second-worst secret in this year's draft, and now it's official -- Zach Wilson is on the New York Jets.

FanDuel Sportsbook had Wilson -5000 to be the number-two pick, and that's exactly how things played out.

After a 2020 season at BYU in which he posted a sparkling 12.2 adjusted yards per attempt, Wilson is now tasked with turning around a Jets franchise that hasn't been to the postseason since 2010. What kind of player are the Jets getting, and how does Wilson project in 2021?

Player Comparisons

numberFire's JJ Zachariason and Jim Sannes break down Wilson's profile, and Jim gives his top comparison.


Brandon Gdula's draft database has found these 10 prior prospects to have the most similar statistical profiles to Wilson. Keep in mind that these are based not on play style or traits but age, athleticism, draft equity, experience, efficiency, and production.

Zach Wilson Profile Comparisons Similarity
Justin Fields 90.9%
Joe Burrow 90.1%
Alex Smith 89.9%
Mitchell Trubisky 88.8%
Kyler Murray 87.8%
Sam Darnold 87.7%
Michael Vick 87.0%
Carson Wentz 86.4%
Andrew Luck 86.2%
Robert Griffin III 86.1%


Gdula's Take: Wilson offers 90th-percentile efficiency, and really, the biggest knock is his schedule. He has hits and misses in his profile comparisons -- but so does everyone.

Wilson's 2021 Fantasy Football Projection

Zachariason's initial projections for Wilson include 3,730 passing yards and 24.4 touchdowns across the 17-game 2021 season, making him the QB29 for the campaign. Wilson is also projected to rush for 170 yards and 0.9 touchdowns.

At the time of the pick, Wilson's supporting cast is headlined by Jamison Crowder, Corey Davis and Denzel Mims -- although the Jets could add weapons as the draft progresses.

On FanDuel Sportsbook, the Jets are listed at +8000 to win the Super Bowl and +1500 to take the AFC East, and they have a win total projection of 6.5 -- with -162 on the under -- on FOX Bet.