Five 2021 NFL Draft QBs to consider if Cleveland Browns pull plug on Baker Mayfield

Zach Wilson, BYU

There has been no bigger surprise this season than the emergence of Zack Wilson. Simply put, he’s been incredible. Wilson was solid in 2018 and 2019, but he was on very few radars heading into 2020. Every week there’s a new highlight-reel play from him, and the comparisons to Patrick Mahomes are inevitable, although Mahomes was not nearly this impressive and consistent in college.

Wilson has good size at 6-3 and 210 pounds, great mobility, and pretty much everything else about him is elite. He has a cannon arm, pinpoint accuracy to all levels, and the ability to throw accurately from different angles, bases, and arm slots. His improvisation skills are fantastic, and he’s also entirely capable of sitting in the pocket and tearing a defense to shreds. His mechanics are very good, far better than Mahomes’ coming out, and Wilson’s release is lighting-quick.

The only concerns with Wilson are the level of competition and injury history. He had surgery on a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder after his freshman year, and then had surgery on his throwing shoulder as a sophomore.

Wilson should be seen as a top-10 prospect right now, so it’s all but impossible he’d fall to the Browns. However, the team may find themselves in a similar position to the Kansas City Chiefs in 2017 – a playoff-caliber roster in need of a franchise quarterback. A Mahomes-esque move-up would be surprising for this front office, but it is a possibility.

The Browns shouldn’t want to move on from Baker Mayfield right now, but they need to keep the possibility in mind based on how the third-year signal-caller has played this season. There will be options to replace him in the 2021 NFL Draft, depending on how aggressive the team wants to be.