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Tony Romo compares Zach Wilson to Patrick Mahomes, but not everyone is buying it
This year's crop of rookie NFL QBs has garnered a lot of buzz heading into Week 1.
Between the five selected in the first round — Trevor Lawrence (No. 1 overall, Jacksonville Jaguars), Zach Wilson (No. 2 overall, New York Jets), Trey Lance (No. 3 overall, San Francisco 49ers), Justin Fields (No. 11 overall, Chicago Bears) and Mac Jones (No. 15 overall, New England Patriots) — each rookie has shown promise of immense potential.
But some special praise has been heaped on Wilson recently, and it came from a quarterback-turned-analyst with a sterling reputation: former Dallas Cowboys standout Tony Romo.
Romo now plies his trade in the booth calling games for CBS, and the color analyst made note of his lofty expectations for Wilson in the Big Apple.
"I actually think Zach Wilson with the Jets is going to turn that franchise around," Romo said during a call with reporters.
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But Romo didn't stop there.
"I think Zach Wilson is going to be in the discussion as one of the top three to five quarterbacks [in the league] very quickly," Romo said. "Within the next couple of years, I think you're going to see him rise. I think he's unbelievable. His ceiling is so high."
How high, exactly?
"It's rare for me to say someone has the ability to get in the stratosphere of a [Patrick] Mahomes, but I think this kid actually has that ability. So when you have a quarterback like that, I think there's no telling how good you can be. He can make up for a lot of weaknesses in a lot of areas for a football team."
That is certainly some high praise.
And it's not the first time Romo has been effusive about the 22-year-old quarterback. He told KSL Sports, a Utah sports network — Wilson went to BYU in Provo, Utah — that Wilson's talent is "super rare" and that he's reminded of a "young Dan Marino" when Wilson plays.
In three seasons at BYU, Wilson completed 67.6% of his passes for 7,652 yards, 56 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. His 33-touchdown, three-interception season as a junior skyrocketed his NFL Draft stock, where he was subsequently taken second overall in April.
Wilson played sparingly in just two preseason games for the Jets, but the early numbers are impressive.
He completed 15 of 20 pass attempts for 191 yards and two touchdowns without an interception or a sack, plus a 137.7 passer rating in the two games.
Despite those impressive numbers, Romo's evocation of the likes of Mahomes and Marino raised more than a few eyebrows, Colin Cowherd's among them.
The host of "The Herd" was unequivocal in his reaction to Romo's comments about Wilson.
"There is zero chance that Zach Wilson in the next ‘couple of years’ will be a top-three quarterback," Cowherd said. "How do I know that? Because if Patrick Mahomes didn’t win, he would be Matt Stafford. Crazy talented. Big stats. Massive arm — and we'd never talk about him. Quarterback is about winning."
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Colin Cowherd: 'Zach Wilson has zero chance to be a top 3 QB in the next 3 years' I THE HERD
Mahomes has a 38-8 record through his first 46 regular-season games, not to mention a 2019 Super Bowl ring and the 2018 league MVP award.
Wilson hasn't had an opportunity to take the regular-season stage yet, but those are some gaudy standards.
For context, the oddsmakers at FOX Bet have the total over/under for wins for the Jets set at 6.5 victories in 2021, and New York is the odds-on favorite to finish last in the AFC East at -300.
Shannon Sharpe of "Undisputed" said he's a believer in Wilson's arm talent but has questions about his supporting cast — especially as it pertains to Mahomes comparisons.
"He has the goods," Sharpe said. "… The question is: Are they going to continue to surround him with talent? … Because that's what Patrick Mahomes had. [Travis] Kelce, Tyreek [Hill] … They've got guys that can help Patrick Mahomes.
"… Patrick Mahomes stratosphere? I don't know about all that. But I will concede this … he has the potential to be really, really good."
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Shannon Sharpe: Zach Wilson is extremely arm-talented, but I don't know if he's in the Mahomes' stratosphere I UNDISPUTED
It seems there's no shortage of belief in Wilson, just that perhaps Romo's expectations could use a bit of adjusting. But until Wilson gets a few seasons under his belt, there's no proving Romo's prediction right or wrong.
However, as former NFL cornerback DeAngelo Hall reminded folks on NFL Network, Romo has a knack for calling things out before they happen.
Could Romo's prognostication skills from the commentary booth translate to player evaluation?
We'll check in on Wilson in a few years and find out.
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