Jets owner Woody Johnson likes what he’s seen from prized rookie quarterback Zach Wilson.
But Johnson also understands it’s still early in the process.
“He’s a talent, for sure,” Johnson said Wednesday. “I know he’s a hard worker. He’s obsessive about tape. He wants to watch tape all the time. He looks as advertised.”
Johnson’s comments on the second and final day of the Jets’ minicamp marked his first media session in about four years. He returned as the Jets’ owner earlier this year after spending the past four seasons as the United States’ ambassador to the United Kingdom.
The Jets drafted Wilson second overall this year, after trading Sam Darnold to the Panthers. They had picked Darnold third overall in 2018. The Jets thought Darnold would be their long-sought franchise quarterback answer. He wasn’t. So they’re taking another shot with Wilson.
Perhaps that’s why Johnson wanted to remain measured when asked Wednesday about Wilson. Johnson understands that while Wilson has looked good so far in practices, these are no-pads, no-contact spring practices. The pads don’t go on until training camp starts in late July.
Johnson was asked why Jets fans should believe that Wilson is finally going to be the Jets’ quarterback savior, after so many failures post-Joe Namath.
“Yeah, well, you never know,” Johnson said. “Now we’re in shorts. So how is it going to look when we get to padded [practices] and we start playing preseason [games]. Then you’re going to get a much better idea. Everybody is hopeful about his learning curve and they like his quick release and they like a whole lot of elements. And that’s why they drafted him No. 2. And I don’t think they’ve seen anything to discourage us in any of the elements that we picked him for.”
Since Johnson bought the Jets before the 2000 season, they have now drafted these quarterbacks in the first two rounds: Wilson, Darnold, Christian Hackenberg, Geno Smith, Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens, and Chad Pennington.
Among that group, only Pennington was a consistently productive player. So Johnson has seen a lot of quarterback struggles during his time as the Jets’ owner. He can only hope Wilson bucks that trend.
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Darryl Slater may be reached at dslater@njadvancemedia.com. Tell us your coronavirus story or send a tip here.