Zach Wilson: Think You Can Answer These 9 Questions About Him?

Zach Wilson

Watching him play is a lot of fun because Zach Wilson is an American football player who plays the quarterback position. One of the prospects with the greatest growth towards the Draft is undoubtedly Zach Wilson –especially as a QB– to such an extent that today he is emerging as a player who can change the face of the team he arrives at, thanks to his tremendous qualities. So if you’ve become a fan of his over the years, you could know the answers to some of our questions! 

9 Zach Wilson Questions Every Fan Should Answer! 

Q1. What is Zach Wilson’s middle name?

A: Kapono. 

Zach Wilson was named Zachary Kapono Wilson when he was born on August 3, 1999. 

Q2. Zach Wilson debuted against which NFL team? 

A: For his first game with the NFL, Zach Wilson made his debut against the Carolina Panthers. 

He completed 20 of 37 passes for 258 yards, two touchdowns for Corey Davis and suffered an interception in the 19-14 defeat. 

After the 14:19 loss, in Week 2, he threw four interceptions in the 6:25 loss to the New England Patriots, two of them in his first two pass attempts. In Week 4, he scored his first NFL win as the Jets beat the Tennessee Titans 27-24 in overtime. In that game, Wilson completed 21 passes for 297 yards and two touchdowns and one interception, including a 53-yard touchdown to Corey Davis. The first victory came in week 4 against the Tennessee Titans in which he passed for 297 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, being awarded as rookie of the week. 

Currently, Zach plays for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He previously played college football for the BYU Cougars and was selected second overall by the New York Jets in the 2021 NFL Draft. 

Q3. Which year was Zach Wilson drafted to the NFL?

​​

A: 2021. 

On July 19, 2021, Zach Wilson signed a 4-year, $35.15 million contract, with $22.9 million in bonuses. Zach Wilson was the second pick in the 2021 NFL Draft by the New York Jets. He only signed his four-year contract with a team option for the fifth year on July 29, 2021, missing two days of training camp. 

Wilson was predicted by analysts as a first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, with some publications pushing him to second overall pick.

Q4. Zach Wilson recently suffered an injury, where was it? 

A: Zach injured the meniscus in his right knee due to a non-contact bone bruise. 

Wilson missed the first three games of the 2022 season when he crashed on his own in the second series on offense for the Jets in their first preseason game — a 24-21 win over the Eagles in Philadelphia. 

New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson underwent arthroscopy to repair his meniscus tear after taking a flight to Los Angeles for surgery by Dr. Neal ElAttrache. 

Although Wilson was originally expected to miss two to four weeks due to a bone contusion and torn meniscus in his right knee, Dr. Neal ElAttrache repaired his meniscus and found no other damage to his knee. 

Q5. What team did Zach Wilson play after he recovered from his injury?

A: Zach Wilson’s first game since his injury was on the Steelers field! 

Like a boss, the sophomore quarterback effectively managed his final drive as New York trailed 17-20 on Steelers grounds, allowing the NY Jets to take the lead 16 seconds from time on a Breece Hall touchdown.  Breece Hall himself was in big praise for his young teammate, saying: “He has really big balls. You can tell he believes in himself.  

FUN FACT: Zach Wilson was injured before after a Matthew Judon hit at the game against the New England Patriots, causing him to miss the next four games through injury and being replaced by Mike White and Joe Flacco. After his injury layoff, he showed himself in improved form, not having thrown an interception in the last five games.

Q6. Which school did Zach Wilson go to?

A: Zach Wilson attended Corner Canyon High School in Draper, Utah. 

As he was born in the city of Draper, state of Utah, he decided not to go too far from his community and joined Corner Canyon High School in Draper City.  In his three years in high school, he managed a total of 5,842 yards and 45 touchdowns. 

As a senior, he threw for 2,986 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also ran for 752 yards and eight touchdowns. He decided to play college football for the BYU Cougars at Brigham Young University (BYU) which is located in Utah – the same place he was born. 

At Corner Canyon High School, Zachery also received offers from Boise State, California, Iowa, Minnesota, Oregon State, Syracuse, Utah State, Hawaii, Fresno State, Nevada, Rice, Idaho, Weber State and Colorado State.

Q7. Which university did Zach Wilson go to?

A: BYU. 

Zach Wilson announced on January 1, 2021 that he would be drafted for the 2021 NFL Draft and forgo his senior year of college. Zachery made his first start against Hawaii and became the youngest quarterback ever to start for BYU. 

His time at BYU was somewhat fickle in his first two seasons, yet he became the youngest starting QB in his university’s history, as well as being named the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl MVP in 2018. In his first year he started seven of nine games in which he appeared and the following year he started nine, in a season in which he missed playing time with a hand injury that required surgery. 

2020 was his breakout year in an atypical season amid a pandemic, with games suspended and players opting out for health reasons. With 73% completions, 3,600-plus yards, 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions, he had the most growth of virtually any prospect on the year. Zachery completed 199 of his 319 passes (62.38%) for 2,382 yards, 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

At the end of the season, Zachery completed 120 of 182 passes (65.93%) for 1,578 yards, 12 touchdowns and three interceptions.He was eighth in the Heisman Trophy, which recognizes the best player from any college. 

Q8. What are Zach Wilson’s best qualities?

A: 

  • One of the clearest features is his pure arm talent as Zach has a powerful right arm.
  • He is a very precise passer.
  • He has great accuracy when making deep passes.
  • He knows how to throw the ball in a way that makes it easier for his receivers.
  • He knows how to move his eyes very well to confuse opposing defenses.
  • He stays firm in the bag. 
  • If necessary, he can quietly escape the bag and gain some yards.
  • He can easily throw the ball to wide receivers.
  • Shows excellent anticipation.
  • He is an extremely dangerous runner with the ball in his hands.
  • He can buy some time on the offensive drive by gaining rushing yards.
  • He has the ability to shoot a fast ball in extremely limited spaces. 
  • He is extremely intelligent in avoiding hits from opposing defenders.
  • He understands the game very well.
  • Given the chance, he can gain a lot more outfield yards, including scoring.

The ball just explodes from the hand when he throws it, no matter if he’s planted, rolling, or has pressure on his face. Wilson can also swing his arm at different angles to create various types of plays. Be it short passes, screens, or even long passes of more than 30 yards. As can be seen through this action.

He is even capable of throwing passes below his shoulder level or crossing the field from side to side with the ball. He has the great athletic ability to evade pressure, either inside the protection bag or escaping from it. Additionally, this ability makes him a threat when encouraged to get rushing yards. Despite not having great speed, he is skilled enough to make the first defender miss in the open field. Another great quality is the attitude with which it drives, always with great safety and a high degree of competitiveness. He is constantly looking to get the upper hand on his opponent and make a big play. It’s not uncommon to see him hang in the pocket and take hard hits from the defense in order to make a deep pass. These last two characteristics make Wilson a dangerous quarterback as the play progresses. Even in pressure situations, he makes good and quick decisions.

One of the great details of Zach Wilson’s game is that it went from less to more. In fact, between 2018 and 2019 he already gave some hints of what he could offer. But it would not be until the year 2020 that the quarterback finally exploded. 

Speaking of his style of play, it should be noted that he is impeccable. It’s safe to say that Wilson represents those young quarterbacks who are emerging and are not only good at throwing the ball, but also gaining yards on the ground. One of the best things about him is that his game depends on how constantly he uses his feet. Thanks to this and his lower body he can control the ball superbly and execute passes perfectly.

According to one critic, he has some very interesting thoughts about the boy. “Zach Wilson plays with good athleticism in general, as evidenced by his ability to escape and evade pressure both on and off the bag…this same athleticism makes him a viable threat when reading down the field, giving opponents something else to defend. In the passing game, he has made huge strides since the 2019 season. Some of these feats are “rare.” In fact, his ability to shoot the ball on time and early is that of an elite player. He plays with the poise that one of the top picks in the NFL Draft requires.”

He is also a great athlete who knows very well how to evade defenders and extend plays, even moving on the ground himself.

Q9. Where can Zach Wilson do better?

A: 

  • The timing of his passes needs improvement
  • Could have better footwork.
  • He lacks experience in higher ranking competition.
  • His accuracy can falter if you are under pressure.
  • At times he can have a hard time reading opposing defenses on the field.
  • He is very slender and could perhaps have a little more muscle mass.

Of course, not everything can be positive, and there are times when Wilson can have a hard time reading opposing defenses. Likewise, as good as he is, he could improve his footwork a lot more. Either way, it’s not on the horizon that the guy won’t adapt to how complicated and rigorous the NFL is. 

Having the ability to improvise and pass on broken plays by fitting passes into small windows, he often fails to release the ball in time for the play to unfold as designed. In the NFL, defenders are faster and this lack of pace could cost him. This is a passer who needs to see that his receiver is open and then throw the pass, instead of anticipating and throwing the ball to where his receiver will be. Speeding up his defensive reading process and moving faster through his progressions would suit him very well. 

His tendency to take risks should be also mentioned: it is not uncommon to see him throw the ball away from the flow of the play, put the pass up for his receiver to win the ball, or escape from the pocket looking for a long play instead of taking the checkdown. He’s chasing the big play all the time, something he’ll need to learn to modulate. There are those who mention his height as a weakness; however, today, the prototypical 6-foot-3 quarterback is no longer the norm. Plus, Wilson compensates by finding windows by throwing under his shoulder, not necessarily over his offensive linemen. The truth is that it will not be so easy for him to throw to the center of the field in short trajectories because he has players who are around two meters tall in front of him. 

Related posts

Three Players Who Could Become Worldwide Superstars at the Euros

Akarsh Shekhar

Sports Betting 101: Legal and Ethical Ways to Place Your Bets

Akarsh Shekhar

Who is the Tallest NBA Player of All Time?

Akarsh Shekhar