Scott Mitchell: Stop Comparing Zach Wilson To Patrick Mahomes

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Former BYU quarterback Zach Wilson shot up NFL Draft boards after his amazing 2020 season with the Cougars and is considered one of the top three quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft.

It is Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence at the top and then Wilson or Ohio State’s Justin Fields, and depending on the mock draft sites Wilson is as high as No. 2 overall to the New York Jets.

When being considered that high in the Draft it is impossible to not compare the future NFL player with a current one, it always happens to the elite prospects and especially so at quarterback.

However, comparing a quarterback who has never taken an NFL snap to someone like Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs or Green Bay Packers legend Aaron Rodgers is wildly unfair; both have won MVP awards and Super Bowls.

Those making those comparisons are trying to be complimentary but it adds so much pressure to that player and also the fanbase that will soon root for that guy on a pedestal that is out of reach. Last NFL Draft, former Utah State quarterback Jordan Love was being compared to Mahomes, and Love never saw a snap for the Packers and was a healthy scratch for a number of games.

This is nothing new.

What current NFL quarterback do you think is Zach Wilson’s comp?

Reply with anyone not listed.

— KSL Unrivaled (@KSLunrivaled) January 20, 2021

This puts Wilson in a really tough spot and if he goes to the Jets the pressure will be off the charts with those comparisons and then going to the New York market can magnify things even more.

Let Zach Wilson Be Zach Wilson

There are plenty of reasons why Wilson shot up the draft boards and is expected to be the second or third quarterback off the board. He makes a ton of good throws, downfield passing, on the run, and he makes a lot of plays with his athleticism.

"He has a whole package.” – former @BYUfootball and NFL linebacker @BradyPoppinga on @zachkapono1 🤙#LocalsInTheNFL #NFL #NFLDraft #BYU #GoCougs #BYUFOOTBALL https://t.co/BDIXNqh1MH

— KSL Sports (@kslsports) January 20, 2021

KSL Sports’ Scott Mitchell knows a thing or two about being an NFL quarterback as he spent a dozen years in the league.

“Nobody does this but Patrick Mahomes and he has the ability to throw the ball on the run, very far down the field and with a lot of velocity. He’s able to make all the throws, which everyone has said, ‘you do not throw late down the middle or you don’t throw to your backside.’ Patrick Mahomes is the only guy I’ve ever seen do it,” Mitchell said on KSL’s UnRivaled.

“It’s not that Zach Wilson doesn’t do that. I mean, so you want to stop there? Trevor Lawrence doesn’t do any of it. Trevor Lawrence does not look like Patrick Mahomes. He does not look like Zach Wilson. He does not look like Aaron Rodgers.”

Even Mitchell can’t control himself with comparisons by saying that Lawrence has a style like Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and most recently Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers.

“I know this is a discussion about Zach Wilson. I’m a little concerned about a lot of these comparisons right now,” Mitchell added. “That could put a lot of pressure on Zach Wilson to maybe try to be more than he really is because he’s not Patrick Mahomes and he’s not Aaron Rodgers. He needs to be Zach Wilson.”

Every quarterback should be considered their own person and not be compared to other quarterbacks and especially ones that are future Hall of Famers. That is what can derail one’s career before it even gets started as expectations would be sky high for Wilson to step in right away as a high draft pick and turn things around immediately.

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