2021 NFL Mock Draft: Cowboys fix defense, Justin Fields slides to Broncos

2. New York Jets: Zach Wilson, QB, BYU

The suspense as to whether or not the New York Jets would actually pull the trigger on a quarterback at No. 2 is now a thing of the past. Of course, the majority of the sports world knew what was going to happen here but as long as Sam Darnold was on the roster, there was a hint of doubt that some could play off of.

That ended as soon as Darnold was shipped to the Carolina Panthers for future draft picks. The move ended up making sense for both sides — as well as the player. Darnold never lived up to his status as the No. 3 overall pick in 2018 but not all was on him. He had a pretty bad roster of talent around him and Adam Gase really did him no favors at all.

Sending him to Carolina allows him to have a fresh start, which both sides really needed. As for the Panthers, they understood at No. 8 there was no guarantee a solid starting quarterback would be available. Instead of waiting, they elected to see if they could salvage the former USC star.

Back to the Jets pick, they end up with Zach Wilson from BYU here — a move that can be criticized on its own. Wilson does have all the talent in the world but he didn’t put together as many good seasons as Justin Fields. Still, there seems to be something about him that really caught the Jets’ eye and they make Wilson their latest quarterback of the future.