The Undroppables - Zach Wilson

As everyone knows, former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson has the arm strength to make any throw. However, some are concerned about Wilson’s injury history, especially his shoulder surgery on his throwing arm in 2018. Looking back at his college days, I didn’t see anything that required any concern. I explain why below.

Injury History

Torn labrum in right shoulder (throwing arm) in 2018. Wilson missed four games and required surgery after the season.
Broken thumb in right hand. Wilson missed four games again.

2019 Injury

Starting with the thumb fracture in 2019, there isn’t too much to say. The injury was a fluke. Wilson broke his thumb late in the game against Toledo while throwing an interception. There wasn’t a clear indication of injury on the throw, but I speculate it happened when he tried to run down the DB.

2018 Injury

There’s no specific timeline for when Wilson injured his right shoulder. He had surgery to repair his labrum in his throwing shoulder in 2018, which effectively ended his season, but per a 2019 interview, Wilson said he sustained the injury in high school.

In that same interview, Wilson was quoted on how he hurt his shoulder: “…he doesn’t think it was him throwing a football that made the injury worse but rather landing on the injured shoulder.”

The mechanism of injury described in the interview is a very common type of injury typically referred to as a FOOSH – Falling Onto an Outstretched Hand. Nearly the majority of compression type labral injuries occur from a FOOSH.

If there were any concerns that Wilson would have lingering effects post shoulder surgery, he put those worries to bed in 2020. He was top three in yards per completion, and BYU ranked second in yards per play (mostly because of Wilson).

Oh yeah and then there are plays like this:

Looking Ahead

The only marginal concern I have is with Wilson’s playing style. In a recent discussion I had with @DrRisher, we discussed QB prospects and he informed me scouts aren’t just concerned about a QB’s ability to run, but their ability to extend plays…something Zach does well.

It’s plays like this one where Wilson extends the play by rolling out of the pocket and throwing on the run. Throwing on the run and fading away, if a defender hits and drives Wilson to the ground, that’s a risk for FOOSH.

What The Research Shows

Research on prevalence of labral tears in college football showed that QBs ranked eighth out of 10 as the least likely to sustain that injury (12%). Of the QBs studied, half had a previous labral injury, suggesting a 50% re-injury rate (not statically significant).

Zach_Wilson_Injury_Analysis — Overall Prevalence of Labral Tears by Player Position Group

Summary

Zach Wilson’s thumb injury was a fluke play. It likely happened when he was trying to tackle a defender after an interception.

Wilson’s previous right shoulder injury combined with his playing style probably leave him at a higher risk of these re-injury compared to someone with the same injury history.

With all of that in mind, the risk isn’t enough to avoid him at any rookie drafts. My findings while reviewing his profile did not yield anything I would classify as a red flag.

Zach_Wilson_Injury — Zach Wilson’s injury risk is low enough to ignore for fantasy purposes.

If you wish to see the link to the original Twitter Thread, click HERE.

For a more in-depth fantasy football driven breakdown of Zach Wilson or any other rookie prospects, make sure you check out The Undroppables Rookie Draft Guide.

Zach Wilson | Injury Profile