New England Patriots Hall of Famer Tedy Bruschi picks Zach Wilson over Mac Jones for Rookie of the Year award
Most analysts are quick to side with the fact that Mac Jones will likely be Rookie of the Year. Not Tedy Bruschi.
Bruschi shocked the rest of the Get Up ESPN team when he chose to put his faith in New York Jets rookie Zach Wilson instead of picking the quarterback from his former Patriots team.
It's hard to say right now who will win Rookie of the Year. Both Mac Jones and Zach Wilson are rookie quarterbacks with the tall task of taking on their respective AFC East opponents. Both the Patriots and Dolphins have top-10 defensive units heading into the 2021 season, leaving both quarterbacks to mull over their decision to air the ball out. J.C. Jackson and Xavien Howard will be hunting down interceptions like they did in 2020.
Oddly enough, the Jets and the New England Patriots are tied in 19th place for the 2021 season strength of schedule, so it's anyone's game in the race for Rookie of the Year. Both teams are looking at opponents with a .489 win percentage.
Does Mac Jones or Zach Wilson have a better receiving core?
The next best course of action is to look at the receiving core for both teams. According to PFF, the Patriots are way down the list of receiving corps heading into 2021.
The Patriots sit at number 26 of 32 teams. Adding Nelson Agholor will bolster the unit as he comes off a season with 896 yards and 18.7 yards per reception, not bad for someone with drops and inconsistency issues.
New England Patriots receivers
Kendrick Bourne and Jakobi Meyers should help solidify this unit. Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith are nice additions to a TE room that had a league low of only 18 catches last season. Mac Jones doesn't exactly have superstars in his lineup, but there are enough proven pass catchers to see some good success on the field.
New York Jets receivers
Zach Wilson and the New York Jets are ranked even lower on the list of receiving corps for the 2021 season. The Jets are placed at number 29 of 32 teams. Corey Davis was acquired by the Jets from the Tennessee Titans, and he looks set to be the leader in the receiving room for the Jets.
Denzel Mims had an impressive 15.5 yards per reception in his rookie year, so the Jets are hoping to see a big year-two jump from the Baylor man. In a major trade, the Jets sent Chris Herndon to the Vikings for draft compensation. Herndon has had injury issues of late, leaving Tyler Kroft to head the TE unit. Kroft had a meager 119 yards in 2020.
Rookies Mac Jones and Zach Wilson will have their hands full in dealing with leading their teams to higher levels of success. The Patriots ended 2020 with a 7-9 record. The Jets came in dead last with a 2-14 record. With new players for every team and a competitive AFC East, it's a possibility that neither team could produce Rookie of the Year honors.