Zach Wilson was the second overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and is expected to be the new franchise savior of the New York Jets. The Jets have seemingly been seeking this savior since Joe Namath, but Wilson has as good a chance as anyone to be it.

Wilson has a giant arm, a lot of intelligence, and great accuracy, everything one could want from a quarterback. He starred at BYU, one of the greatest quarterback schools in history. Wilson started at the young age of 19 and never looked back. He was the youngest BYU starter in school history, despite BYU producing such Hall of Fame arms as Steve Young and Jim McMahon.

However, despite the excitement surrounding him, some are less enthused.

An anonymous director of college scouting for an NFC team had a much less rosy view of the BYU quarterback.

“…not a leader, selfish, and he’s a know-it-all … (a) Johnny Manziel comp without the (drugs).”

These are harsh words from the scout, and they have their merits and demerits. Zach Wilson and Manziel are similar arm talents, though Wilson has a lot more accuracy on the deep ball. He places balls a lot more carefully and can hit shoulders with a lot of precision. Manziel also relied a lot on his legs in a way Wilson simply does not. Other than those differences, they have some similarities in terms of decision-making and overall talent. In the end, Manziel is one of the biggest off-the-field disasters in NFL history, and comparing any quarterback to him is likely misguided.