There is practically zero buzz about the Jaguars drafting anyone other than Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 overall pick. However, that doesn't necessarily mean that he will have the best career of any quarterback in the draft. Heck, it doesn't even mean that he's the unanimous choice as the best quarterback on the board in terms of his future NFL production and his skill level.
You can count Cris Collinsworth as one of the analysts who ranked Lawrence above Wilson in the draft, but this wasn't the case until after a whole lot of deliberation. He spoke about the likely No. 2 pick in the most recent episode of his podcast, presented by Pro Football Focus, with fellow PFF analyst Mike Renner.
"Zach Wilson is a guy that, when I watch him... you know how Aaron Rodgers kind of just toys with defenses?" Collinsworth said. "He (Rodgers) looks like he's not really trying and he kind of flicks the ball and it comes out and it's just so pretty and it just looks like he's playing around? That's what I keep seeing with Zach Wilson.
"...I really hesitated (to rank him behind Trevor Lawrence). Part of me wanted to say this is Aaron Rodgers. Man, I'm seeing this guy play football, I know what he can do."
What then, is the reason that he couldn't bring himself to rank the BYU product ahead of the generational Clemson alum?
"...I will say that I don't think I ever saw him get touched hardly in those games, and you're going to go to the Jets, you're gonna get touched," Collinsworth said. "You're gonna get touched a lot when you're going to the Jets, but other than that, other than the fact that we really haven't seen him get beat up and have to play quarterback, is there anything else in the stratosphere that we don't like about him?"
Renner had an answer, though he also lauded Wilson's extreme confidence to make any throw and the mentality that he brings with him to whatever sport he plays.
"...I mean, there's not a lot to dislike. It's more just the things you haven't seen, and that's why you feel more comfortable about Lawrence," Renner said. "(With Lawrence), you've seen it all. You've seen the breadth of work — three years, against the blitz, against pressure — all of it you've seen against Lawrence, and it's always been very good.
"Wilson could legitimately be better, like people have him as QB1, but I think it's just because I think the doubt in my mind about what's gonna happen when he is under pressure, when is he seeing all this stuff, is the reason why he's QB2."
Those question marks — those scarce, somewhat self-created question marks — about Wilson's play haven't deterred every analyst. Chris Simms, for instance, has Wilson ranked higher than Lawrence on his big board. Furthermore, some analysts have Wilson lower than other prospects, including Ohio State's Justin Fields, who might be the most volatile QB prospect in terms of his draft stock. Simms has Fields falling to No. 32. Others? He's higher than Wilson.
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At this point, the mystery about who the Jets will draft has diminished to the smallest possible size, though it's still not as clear-cut as the guarantee of Lawrence to the Jaguars. How these picks will all play out, however, is the fun of it, and that mystery will remain until we see everyone try their hand on the gridiron.
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