Pro Football Focus was none too impressed by New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson as a rookie.
PFF has gone position-by-position ranking NFL players head-to-head this offseason. Upon landing at quarterback, the football analytics outlet got creative.
PFF decided to place Wilson right near the bottom of their list. Specifically, Wilson slotted in as a Tier F quarterback.
What is that? It’s the group labeled “sophomore hijinks.”
That alone leaves wiggle room. All of these players clearly need more time to develop.
But even in their limited time, of these six QBs, Wilson was mentioned as the fifth best.
That list:
- 1. Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars)
- 2. Mac Jones (Patriots)
- 3. Justin Fields (Bears)
- 4. Trey Lance (49ers)
- 5. Zach Wilson (Jets)
- 6. Davis Mills (Texans)
Here’s PFF’s full breakdown on the Year 2 grouping, including their thoughts on Wilson:
Given we are just one year into this tier’s career, there is still a ton of projection to consider. Draft position and overall team health are considered.
Team health is why Lawrence, who was drafted first overall in 2020, is still first in this tier.
Just from a numbers standpoint after one season, Jones had the highest WAR and overall grade among the rookies, but his season tanked in the second half. He went through a stretch of six games where he received five sub-63.0 grades. That stretch proceeded a five-game stretch where he posted at least a 75.0 grade four times.
Fields and Lance have the kind of athletic ability that should enable them to work through the issues they faced in their first years. However, Lance may not even start this year, and Fields is dealing with an organization that doesn’t want him to play with any nice toys this season.
Wilson played most of the season and finished seventh in total rookie WAR, which ranked behind Ian Book. It was a disaster. Mills had some bright moments but was otherwise not very good for the “horrendous” Texans.
