Ranking the 2021 NFL Draft quarterback class: Guess where Trevor Lawrence lands
• The Jaguars went with Trevor Lawrence
• How does he stack up against his peers
No. 4 QB to come out of the 2021 NFL Draft: Zach Wilson, Round 1, 2nd overall
This is where things get interesting. Late in 2020, the New York Jets were close to clinching the top pick in the draft but they ended up getting the second overall selection due to a couple of back-to-back wins, alongside a Jaguars' loss to the Chicago Bears.
There was a 99 percent chance that whoever ended up with the first overall pick in 2021 would draft Trevor Lawrence and that's precisely what the Jaguars did. New York seemed to be fine with picking Zach Wilson at No. 2, who was a highly coveted prospect of his own coming out of BYU.
Wilson had a somewhat good rookie season while Lawrence struggled, which seemed to reinforce the notion that the Jets were smart for passing on Lawrence. However, things took a turn in 2022, and Wilson was benched while Lawrence played like a top-10 quarterback.
Wilson was so dreadful that at one point he was phased out in favor of Mike White. He was eventually inserted back as the starter when White suffered an injury but once again he faltered and was benched in favor of journeyman Chris Streveler.
Despite the fact that the Jets had drafted Wilson second overall, they didn't think highly of him. Otherwise, they wouldn't have traded for Aaron Rodgers in the offseason. The plan was to let Wilson take a step back and learn from Rodgers, one of the best quarterbacks of this generation.
However, Rodgers suffered an Achilles injury that paved the way for Wilson to start once again. The expectation is that Rodgers will miss the remainder of the season, which gives Zach Wilson a chance to get back on track. Having said that, Rodgers says that he doesn't rule out returning at some point later in the year, and if that's the case, Wilson will probably return to the bench.
Not many players get second chances after flopping but Zach Wilson's got his due to Aaron Rodger's injury. It will be interesting to see if he can change the narrative.