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When the New York Jets played Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers this preseason, it was a dream come true for rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. As a massive fan of the Packers icon, he not only got to share the field with Rodgers, but during joint practice sessions, he got to mingle and soak up knowledge from his idol.
During interviews, Zach Wilson said he could scarcely believe his luck that he was practicing in person with Aaron Rodgers and was fulsome in his praise for the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
In time, Zach Wilson will look to emulate and hopefully exceed the career Aaron Rodgers has had. If so, he will have to take some steps to reach and breach those lofty standards.
How Zach Wilson can emulate Aaron Rodgers
#1 - Read defenses better
As the second overall pick in the NFL draft, there is little doubt that Zach Wilson has the talent to become an elite quarterback. But what he must have realized by now is that the NFL is faster and, therefore, much of the advantage is in reading the defense correctly. To reach Aaron Rodgers' level, the New York Jets star must read defenses better.
#2 - Increase pocket mobility
The best quarterbacks are not always the most mobile, but what they have is a certain pocket mobility. They are able to sense pressure and move at an angle or slide sideways to increase the time they have to release the ball. As someone who struggled in training camp when the defense went full-pelt at him, he needs to work on this aspect of his game.
#3 - Reduce high-risk throws
The good news here is that Zach Wilson has shown flashes of the ability to avoid taking unnecessary risks. In his second preseason game, he had no interceptions and threw for two touchdowns. He will need to keep this up to ensure he can survive in the NFL for a long time.
#4 - Choose the correct options
In the second pre-season game, Zach Wilson had nine completions out of 11 throws, meaning he was finding the right options most of the time. Just as with the above point, if he is to emulate Aaron Rodgers, he must be consistently able to do this even in the regular season.
#5 - Practice day in and day out
While commentators will wax lyrical about Aaron Rodgers and his innate talent, the Packers star will tell you that the road to becoming elite is through hard work. If Zach Wilson can turn up every year with the right attitude and the willingness to learn, nothing can stop his progress.
Who knows? Maybe the Jets will finally make that belated trip to the Super Bowl with Wilson at the helm.
