When the college football season teetered on the brink earlier this year, BYU wasn’t sure how they would piece their schedule together. As most of the major conferences adopted conference-only schedules, BYU was losing opponents left and right. To save the season, the Cougars had to scramble to put together their current 11-game schedule.

Nobody is more thankful for that than junior QB Zach Wilson.

The Draper, UT native has lit up defense all season and ranking top-six in passing yards (2,152), passing touchdowns (19), completion percentage (74.6%), and yards per attempt (11.1). He finally threw his first interception since week one this weekend against Western Kentucky after 184 attempts without an interception. That’s just ridiculous stuff.

He has the ideal build for an NFL QB, standing 6-3 and 210 pounds, yet also the elusiveness to use his legs when he needs to and move around the pocket.

Look at this throw here, moving up in the pocket to evade the pass rush, not setting his feet and launching the ball down the field right into the hand of his receiver who drops it. Or this throw here, where Wilson does what QBs aren’t supposed to do, but throws a beautiful ball off without his feet set back across his body for a touchdown. You can see a little Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes in these throws.

BYU hasn’t played very good competition so far this year, but Wilson and Co. will get tested on Friday vs No. 21 Boise State, and plenty of NFL scouts are going to pay close attention to how Wilson plays in a true road game against a ranked opponent. If he thrives, his stock could skyrocket.

Wilson is playing himself right up draft boards into the top ten. At the beginning of the season, all we heard was Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and NDSU QB Trey Lance. Now the BYU QB is playing his way right up into that conversation. There’s only one Lawrence in this draft, so teams are going to want to find that next best option, and that could be Wilson. 247Sports recently mocked Wilson at No. 28 to the Steelers, which could be a good fit.

I wouldn’t even be shocked to see Wilson slide into the QB2 spot behind Lawrence, but the draft is still very far away, so we won’t speculate yet, but Wilson is a guy to keep an eye on for the rest of the season, especially Friday at Boise State.

Writer

-By: TJ Mathewson

With it being Halloween today, it was only necessary to write a Halloween-themed article. We will be describing quarterbacks based on candy we get when you go trick-or-treating. Let us look in and see what quarterback represents what treat.

Patrick Mahomes: The Chocolate Bar

The fan-favorite and the one that everyone considers the best, the chocolate bar. In the NFL, this would be Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes. Mahomes has taken the NFL by storm and is the clear-cut face of the league. When trick-or-treating, everyone is looking for the chocolate, which is like the Super Bowl MVP. When it is Sunday, the average fan will not think twice to turn on a Chiefs game because of Mahomes. Chocolate bars come in many forms and can satisfy many tastes, like Mahomes with his ability to do a lot of things such as throw with accuracy and power, run, read a defense, and be a leader. Chocolate bars rule all, just like Patrick Mahomes.

Kyler Murray: The Sweet Candy

When it comes to sweets, children love this candy because it always annoys the parents when they eat too much of it. Kind of like defenses when they are trying to plan for Kyler Murray, QB for the Arizona Cardinals. When Murray plays, it seems like he had all the sugar in the world with his electric speed and explosiveness, along with his arm talent from the pocket. Many will not call the sweet candy the best, but the younger audience will love the sweets, just like the younger audience loves to watch Murray played quarterback.

Ryan Tannehill: The Pretzel

In every neighborhood, there are a handful of houses that put out the pretzels for the holiday. Pretzels are good and we appreciate their taste, but there is no flair to them. Ryan Tannehill plays quarterback this way and it seems to be working very well, as the Tennessee Titans are sitting at 5-1 in first place of the AFC South. Tannehill will not make the jaw-dropping throw or make a play with his legs, but he will still win you football games in exciting fashion. The pretzel is great, but you would rather have the chocolate bar because of the flashiness of it, even though the pretzel can taste just as good for people that are more knowledgeable about food. People that know football will understand Tannehill’s value, but the common fan will not find him impressive.

Ryan Fitzpatrick: The Fruit

Every neighborhood has that one house that gives out the fruit. Whether it is apples or oranges, the kids always seem to avoid this house, even though the value of it is so massive, but you will not understand until you are older. Ryan Fitzpatrick just will not leave the game of football, like the neighbor with the fruit. People do not realize what the fruit can do for you until it is gone, which is like Fitzpatrick and his value. When he finally retires, we will not genuinely appreciate what he did for the sport during his long career.

Writer

-By Richie Dordas

Two weeks have passed since the first rendition of these rankings, giving us plenty of film to adjust them with. Luckily for us, there wasn’t much adjusting to do thanks to the continued stellar play of the signal callers on this list. Without further ado...

1. Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks

Stats: 5 GP, 1502 YDS, 19 TD, 3 INT, 129.8 RATE

Wilson has cooled off a bit since his historic start to the season, but even a slightly cold Russell Wilson is currently the best QB in the game. He’s averaging nearly four passing TDs a game, putting him on pace for a record-shattering 61 touchdowns over the course of a full season. Most importantly, the Seahawks are 5-0… even while having the #32 ranked defense in terms of yardage. That’s right, dead last.

Here’s how Wilson’s first five games compare to Peyton Manning’s 2013 season (the measuring stick for statistical greatness):

WILSON: 300.4 YPG, 3.8 TD/G, 0.6 INT/G, 129.8 RATE

MANNING: 376.8 YPG, 4.0 TD/G, 0.2 INT/G, 136.4 RATE

2. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

Stats: 4 GP, 1214 YDS, 13 TD, 0 INT, 128.4 RATE

Lost in the buzz surrounding Russell Wilson is Aaron Rodgers’ resurgence as a premier passer in the NFL. After back-to-back “down” seasons, A-Rod has come back in a big way, accounting for 13 scores and zero turnovers through a quarter of the season. This has all happened in spite of Rodgers’ favorite target Davante Adams playing in just two games and his leading receiver Allen Lazard also getting injured. Last week against Atlanta, Rodgers had arguably his best game of the season, throwing for 327 yards and four scores with a passer rating of nearly 150. His leading receiver that game? Undrafted free agent TE Robert Tonyan, who came into the season with just 14 career receptions.

3. Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs

Stats: 5 GP, 1474 YDS, 13 TD, 1 INT, 107.3 RATE

With Russell Wilson giving him a serious run for his money, Patrick Mahomes continues to do just enough to keep himself at the top of the quarterback hierarchy. Every week he gives us at least one of those baffling plays that make fans wonder how a human is capable of such things. See, the best QBs are the ones who limit bad decisions, but the special thing about Mahomes is that he makes his bad decisions still work out. He routinely completes dangerous throws that a Tom Brady or a Drew Brees wouldn’t even consider letting rip. He wasn’t amazing in KC’s loss to Las Vegas, but with almost 1,500 passing yards a 4-1 record, he’s found his spot on this list.

Honorable Mention: Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills

Week 4’s List:

1. Russell Wilson

2. Aaron Rodgers

3. Josh Allen

HM: Patrick Mahomes

*All stats are taken from Pro Football Reference

Writer

-By: Micah Jimoh