Even prior to taking him with the no. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, the New York Jets already had their eyes keenly on BYU standout Zach Wilson. It's hardly a secret.
Rich Camini of ESPN detailed about how the Jets thoroughly wanted to evaluate whether Wilson was indeed their man. They apparently even deployed an unorthodox way of scouting Wilson, particular his physical tools.
Five months after seeing Wilson on tape for the first time, Douglas flew the 1,964 miles to Provo to watch him throw 70 passes before representatives from 31 teams. He was joined by LaFleur and coach Robert Saleh, who made an unusual request that day. He bumped into one of his former players, San Francisco 49ers linebacker and BYU alum Fred Warner. He asked Warner to hug Wilson. The idea, as first noted by Albert Breer of the MMQB, was to get a feel for the size of the quarterback's upper body. There was talk around the league about his narrow shoulders.
Wilson apparently checked all the boxes for the Jets. He had the right frame and showed a great mind for the game during their pre-draft interviews.
Nevertheless, with all the good things they saw and heard about Wilson, they still needed that final nail in the coffin to certify that Wilson was indeed their man. As general manager Joe Douglas admitted, Wilson's pro day showing proved to “cement” him as the next franchise quarterback for the Jets.
“Ultimately, that pro day really, really cemented it,” Douglas said.
In case you need a little reminder of what went down during his BYU Pro Day, here is a montage of his unbelievable throws on that day.
Zach Wilson made some unreal throws at @BYUFootball Pro Day.
@zachkapono1 | @NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/JwRsRUh6B1
— NFL (@NFL) March 26, 2021
How can you pass up on that? Those are definitely some crazy-looking throws from the 21-year old.
Now, with the Jets turning their relationship status with Wilson into “official”, they certainly hope that Wilson will be the man to turn the franchise's fortunes around.
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