Zach Wilson states his case with impressive pro day

[Sir Purr]

That was far from certain going into last season, but the way he played in 2020 caught everyone's attention.


The 6-foot-2, 214-pound Wilson completed 73.5 percent of his passes for 3,692 yards last year, with 33 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He only lost one game all season, to then-fellow-undefeated Coastal Carolina on the road. Wilson was less than spectacular that night in Conway, S.C. (19-of-30 for 240 yards with a touchdown and an interception).


But he was otherwise spectacular, making the same kind of climb up the boards that LSU quarterback Joe Burrow made in 2019 before the Bengals took him first overall last year. That comparison wasn't lost on Wilson, who said he studied Burrow extensively.


"My junior year last year, he was a huge part of my mental success," Wilson said of the Cincinnati quarterback. "I feel like I have the ability to throw the ball into spots where maybe you think someone is covered but maybe they're really open. I really did a lot of studying of the way he played the game, and I think he really did it all the right way.


"He knew exactly what he was doing on every play, he took what the defense gave him, and he extended plays down the field. So I learned a lot from what he did."


Like Burrow, Wilson also has a certain bearing about him, the kind of overt confidence you see from a distance.


When asked about his 2019 shoulder surgery, he explained that he was fully healthy now, but he wanted to prove it during his pro day:"Now coming out here, it's showing coaches that swag and what you're all about."


"Something I feel like separates me, just my passion for the game," Wilson said. "I really put a lot of time into what I do. Throughout the years, I've really dedicated my life to football. It's crazy, when people try to ask me what I do outside football, you know football is really my life. It's like everything I've got going on.


"(I'm) somebody who can extend plays, somebody that can make things happen outside the offense is what I take a lot of pride in."


And that will likely be good news, for the Jets or whichever team ends picking second overall.