No. 1 overall pick Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars take on No. 2 overall pick Zach Wilson and the New York Jets on Sunday at MetLife Stadium. But Wilson isn't viewing the game as him versus Lawrence to prove who is better.
"Do I want our team to beat the Jaguars? Yeah, I do, and I hope to go out there and play well," Wilson said, via the team's official website. "But I don't look at it as me against Trevor or my stats against Trevor's. That has nothing to do with it. It's all about the win. How can I get my team in the best position to beat them?"
Neither the Jets nor the Jags have done much winning with their rookie quarterbacks. New York has won three games this season, two with Wilson as the starter. The Jags have two total wins with Lawrence at the helm.
For Wilson, Sunday isn't about No. 1 versus No. 2, but rather the next opportunity to improve and battle for a victory.
"Guys get beat up this time of year, but besides that, mentally I'm excited, looking forward to the challenge to play, even at this point in the year," he said. "I just feel like I need it, feel it's going to be good for us as a team. I'm really just looking forward to go out there and work on things I need to get better at and get as many reps at things as I can."
Sunday's matchup marks the fourth time since 1950 that QBs selected No. 1 and No. 2 overall in the same draft will meet in their rookie season. The No. 2 pick is 2-1 in the previous three games: Marcus Mariota's Titans beat Jameis Winston's Buccaneers in 2015; Peyton Manning's Colts beat Ryan Leaf's Chargers in 1998; and Rick Mirer's Seahawks beat Drew Bledsoe's Patriots in 1993.
Quarterbacks selected No. 1 overall are 6-3 all-time (not just as rookies) versus QBs selected No. 2 overall in the same draft.
"We both have different situations, different teams," Wilson said. "One thing I learned through (NFL Scouting) Combine training is it's not like me against him. We both can have success."
Their rookie campaigns haven't brought much success. But with both dealing with rocky surroundings, the book isn't written on either Lawrence or Wilson after a single season.
