BYU QB Zach Wilson declares for 2021 NFL Draft

With the 2020 college football season over for all but a few teams, more of the nation’s top underclassmen have declared their intention to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. That list now includes Zach Wilson, BYU’s superstar quarterback and Heisman vote-earner. Wilson announced his decision to leave Provo on social media.

As the triggerman for one of the most prolific offenses in the country, Wilson piled up 3,699 yards, 33 touchdowns, and just three picks through the air, producing the second-highest passing efficiency rating in all of college football (196.4). The mobile signal-caller also finished third on the team in rushing yards (254) and second in rushing touchdowns (10). Wilson also led the Cougars to an 11-1 season — the program’s best record in nearly a quarter of a century — and finished eighth in Heisman voting in the process.

While not considered a high-end NFL prospect entering the season, Wilson’s combination of passing talent and mobility quickly reset the conversation around him by drawing comparisons to some of the league’s top quarterbacks. The BYU product’s fast, whip-like delivery and variety of arm angles has drawn comparisons to the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes while his ability to attempt passes off platform has reminded some of the Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers.

As a result, most expect Wilson to come off the board early in the first round, perhaps as the first quarterback off the board after Clemson Tigers standout Trevor Lawrence. In the most recent DKNation mock draft, Wilson went No. 2 overall to the New York Jets. If Wilson goes anywhere in the first round, he would become the first BYU quarterback to do so since the 1980s.