Bold strategy, Wilson.
The Jets are sitting at the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, where many expect BYU QB Zach Wilson to land. The Jets, who haven’t had an answer at quarterback since Joe Namath walked the streets of New York, don’t exactly have a Hall of Fame reputation among former QBs.
MORE: Sporting News’ QB-only mock draft for 2021
That’s not stopping Wilson, though, who fully expects to be taken No. 2 overall according to NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala. In order to prepare for the job, Wilson has reached out to former Jets passers Chad Pennington, Mark Sanchez and Josh McCown to gauge what it’s like playing in , Florham Park, N.J.
“And now, as it looks like he’s going to the Jets, he’s been preparing to be a Jets quarterback,” Kinkhabwala said. “And to that end, (Wilson’s personal quarterback coach John) Beck told me today, he has gotten on the phone with Chad Pennington, Josh McCown and Mark Sanchez to talk about what it means to play for that organization, in that environment. That to me says that he is trying to eliminate any of the unknowns.”
While jokes will be made, it’s smart business for Wilson to check in, considering that he hails from Draper, Utah, which is about as far from the hustle and bustle of East Rutherford, N.J., as one can get.
Pennington, Sanchez and McCown all had varying degrees of success while with New York: Pennington was selected in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft, playing seven seasons and throwing 89 touchdowns in a Jets uniform. Mark Sanchez was selected by the Jets No. 6 overall in the 2009 NFL Draft, helping guide the team to back-to-back AFC Championship games in 2009 and 2010.
Josh McCown’s role as mentor and stopgap starter with the Jets in 2017 and 2018 is also as good a source as any from which to grab info, considering his lengthy NFL career in various roles.
Wilson’s meteoric rise to the top of the NFL Draft saw him surpass Ohio State’s Justin Fields and North Dakota’s Trey Lance with an exceptional 30 touchdown, three interception season with the Cougars in 2020.
All rumors and reports point to the Jets taking Wilson at No. 2 overall, and now it seems all but certain that Wilson knows as much, too.