In the 2021 NFL Draft, quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson were taken first and second by the Jacksonville Jaguars and New York Jets respectively. This weekend they’ll face off for the first time, but Wilson wants to make one thing clear first.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, Wilson dismissed the idea that his career will always be compared to Lawrence’s. He said that he and Lawrence are in different situations on different teams and that they can both enjoy success.
“We both have different situations, different teams,” Wilson said, via NewYorkJets.com. “One thing I learned through combine training is it’s not like me against him. We both can have success.’
Wilson also made it clear that he has nothing but respect for his Jaguars counterpart. He believes that Lawrence may have had a harder journey due to how high the expectations on him have been.
Via NewYorkJets.com:
“I think all of us have heard about Trevor since almost high school,” he said. “He’s had a different journey than me, for sure. It’s tough to obviously come from nothing in my situation, but I think it’s almost harder to come from his situation, where no matter where you’ve been, people have labeled you as the best. He’s done an amazing job of not listening to the noise, the expectations never got too high for him, and he just handled his own business.
“But coming out of high school as the No. 1 quarterback, out of college as the No. 1 quarterback, then the NFL, it’s tough, so I’ve got a lot of respect for him.”
While it’s good for Zach Wilson to avoid comparing his career to Trevor Lawrence’s that won’t be case with fans – or decision-makers within both organizations.
Whether they like it or not, the two are tied at the hip. And the success of one will reflect on the other in the minds of fans, who spent months debating it.
That debate will surely trickle up into front offices, who will likely evaluate where the two stand against one another over time.
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