Welcome to The Undroppables’ latest series of posts previewing the 2021 QB draft class. The 2021 draft could offer an abundance of talent at the position similar to the 2018 class, which saw four quarterbacks drafted in the top ten and five in the first round. In each post, I will cover a tier of 2021 QB prospects, starting with the best of the best and working our way through the sleepers and potential career backups.
Specifically, this post will cover the 2nd tier of QB talent in this upcoming draft. These prospects are considered likely starters in their rookie season; however, they don’t have the same pedigree as the elite prospects discussed in the last article.
Zach Wilson – Brigham Young
Wilson committed to BYU as a three-star quarterback from Draper, Utah. In his true freshman season, Wilson became the youngest QB to ever record a start for the Cougars and led the team to a 4-3 record, including a win in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, in which Wilson won the MVP award.
Wilson’s sophomore season was hampered by injuries, but he played fairly well when healthy. Similar to QBs like Joe Burrow, Baker Mayfield, and Kyler Murray, Wilson was off the NFL radar prior to this season, but has skyrocketed into the top QB discussion. In 2020, Wilson led the Cougars to an 11-1 season and completed 73.4% of his passes en route to a 196.6 passer efficiency rating this year. The Junior has emerged as an elite QB prospect in this class.
Strengths
Wilson can make throws from practically any platform and any arm angle, sometimes looking like a shortstop turning a double play. Wilson has a lot of power on his throws, and complements that with impressive accuracy as well. Wilson’s footwork allows him to make a good base for his throws even when on the move, which is incredibly helpful as Wilson loves to use his legs to create space against defenses. Wilson was largely used as a rusher early in his college career before BYU opened up the passing game for him in 2020.
Weaknesses
Unfortunately, Wilson has had surgery on both his throwing shoulder and throwing hand in the past. These injury concerns could carry over into the NFL, but team doctors will be paying extra attention to his arm during the pre-draft process. On the field, Wilson’s athleticism sometimes leads him to try to do too much rather than checking down, which can lead to mistakes as he is trying to do too much. Wilson also has a small tendency to step too far into tight-window throws and leave his back foot behind him rather than bringing it forward as he should. However, mentally, Wilson possesses most of the tools NFL offenses need their QBs to have in order to succeed.
My Grade: A- // Projected Draft Capital: Top 5-10 Pick
Trey Lance – North Dakota State
As a member of the 2018 high school class, Trey Lance was a relative unknown as a three-star prospect, with only 7 scholarship offers listed on 24/7Sports. Most FBS schools who recruited Lance wanted him to switch positions, leading Lance to choose FCS powerhouse North Dakota State, where he could pursue his goals as a quarterback.
Lance redshirted behind current Chargers backup Easton Stick in his freshman season. However, Lance won the starting job in 2019 and set the FCS world on fire, finishing 16-0 and winning the FCS championship. With the FCS moving their season to Spring of 2021 rather than Fall of 2020, Lance decided to forego his Junior season in order to participate in NFL scouting events and prepare for the NFL draft. Because of this, practically all of Lance’s career stats were accumulated in one season as a starter.
Strengths
Lance is an electric runner, with 1,100 rushing yards on 6.5 yards per attempt in 2019. He shows off his rushing ability on both designed and undesigned run plays, and he possesses the wherewithal to know when he needs to leave the pocket in the pass game.
Lance is not one-dimensional, however. He has amazing ball placement on deep balls and effortlessly throws the ball downfield. He flashes great mechanics below the waist to set his feet and fire, something that some recent QBs like Josh Allen have struggled with. With his combination of arm power, quick release, and mechanics, he can make almost all the throws accurately and on time.
Weaknesses
I believe Lance can be the best Quarterback in the class if he gets the opportunity to play for a good coaching staff. However, the holes in his game will be pushed to the forefront if his NFL coaching staff doesn’t correct them. The offense Lance runs at NDSU will likely leave him unprepared for NFL progressions, as he usually falls back on his legs if his first or second reads are covered.
Furthermore, Lance needs to get better with his eyes in order to prevent NFL safeties from knowing where he is looking to go with the ball. Lastly, Lance’s mechanics sometimes go downhill as the games progress. This may be a conditioning issue or just mental errors. In the running game, Lance needs to learn when to slide to avoid hits. Even though he is a powerful runner and he can get yards after contact, taking these hits at an NFL level will likely shorten his career. Overall, Lance has notable issues in his game, but they seem like fixable issues at the next level.
My Grade: A- // Projected Draft Pick: Top 10-15 Pick
Make sure to follow Kyle on Twitter @KL_Fantasy, and be on the lookout for the subsequent tiers of rookie QBs throughout this week and the next.
