New York Jets: How Rookie QB Zach Wilson can find his stride

Become more comfortable navigating the pocket

The biggest strength of Wilson’s game in college was his ability to play outside of structure. He routinely made plays from outside the pocket, thanks to his mobility and arm talent. Wilson was great throwing on the run and made throws from different arm angles and platforms. This was one of the most appealing aspects of Wilson’s game. In a league where players like Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers have made a living off of rolling out of the pocket and throwing the ball downfield, having a quarterback that can improvise is very valuable.

With that said, playing out of structure should primarily be done as a last resort and not something a player looks to do on any given play. As mentioned earlier, Wilson is so focused on getting the big play, he breaks the pocket and looks to throw downfield even when he doesn’t need to.

Wilson makes things harder on his offensive line

The Jets’ offensive line isn’t the most stellar unit, but Zach Wilson isn’t doing much to help them out. He often bails from the pocket without cause and leads to him facing unnecessary pressure. It’s much harder for the offensive line to do their job when the area they are trying to block isn’t the same area the quarterback is throwing from. This has caused Wilson to take more sacks than he should and is something he needs to improve on going forward. If he’s able to stay in the pocket and get rid of the ball quickly, the sack numbers will drop.