Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence has been destined for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft since he first stepped on the field for the Tigers, but for about as long, it’s seemed like Ohio State’s Justin Fields was the clear-cut, second-best quarterback prospect in this year’s class.
But as the 2020 college football season winds down, a season in which Fields has played just six games, and struggled against the better defenses he’s faced, a worthy challenger has emerged in BYU’s Zach Wilson.
Wilson capped off an impressive 2020 campaign with a dominant performance Tuesday night against UCF in the Boca Raton Bowl:
👑 The Zach Wilson Bowl 👑 pic.twitter.com/NicngGNrhl
— PFF College (@PFF_College) December 23, 2020
Wilson did much of his damage in the first half, including scoring all five of his touchdowns before heading to the locker room at the break.
All season, Wilson has shown off the kind of skill set that is sure to make NFL decision-makers thinking twice about keeping Fields ahead of them on their draft board.
There’s still a long predraft process to go through, but what would have seemed like a preposterous question just a few months ago has become worth of real consideration heading into the end of the calendar year and the beginning of draft season.
While some teams could easily still have Fields ranked ahead of Wilson, the former has certainly made a strong case to be the second quarterback off the board come next April. At the very least, it’s safe to say that for many, Wilson has already jumped ahead of other big names like Alabama’s Mac Jones, Florida’s Kyle Trask, and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance.
