2023 NFL Draft: Michael Wilson - Stanford Wide Receiver

 

Michael Wilson - Stanford

Michael Wilson has been an absolute standout at the Senior Bowl. When looking into his history, it really is not too surprising. He was a four star recruit coming out of high school, has an excellent blend of height and weight, and really was a standout player before his slew of injuries. Wilson’s production has been limited because he has hardly had the chance to see the field over the last few seasons. His foot injury in 2020 ended his season, which also held him out eight games in 2021. In 2022, he had yet another season ending injury.

Wilson shows up at the Senior Bowl determined to showcase his talent when actually healthy. The redshirt senior has been widely overlooked because he has been unable to see the field, but his performance is starting to turn heads.

This first clip caught the attention of observers with the crispness of the route. The way he completely turned his opponent's hips at the line and exploded in the other direction was incredibly impressive. Then he maximized separation at the break to ensure there was no defensive recovery. Shortly after, Wilson impressed with another equally impressive route.

The quickness on the comeback was not the only impressive part of this clip. He varies his route speed to where the corner has to accelerate in order to stay with him right before the cut. The corner's acceleration made it that much more difficult to stay on the hip of Wilson on the comeback. After seeing his performance throughout the Senior Bowl, a full scouting report based on his actual tape was absolutely necessary.

Scouting Report

Strengths:

1. Press Release - The suddenness on his release cannot be taught. He is as twitched up as they come at 6'2" 209lbs.

2. Blocking - Both his willingness and technique when blocking are impressive. He uses his length well, and can bully opposing corners.

3. Unique Route Movements - It may sound odd, but he just runs routes differently. His whole body can shift in one direction that back the other, and back yet again so rapidly that his movements cannot be anticipated. Sometimes he goes overboard, but this could be an asset if he can refine his footwork and understand when to perform certain moves.

Weaknesses:

1. Injury History - Though it is not an issue with his tape, this has to be mentioned as it is his biggest knock as a prospect. In the last three years, he has only played 14 games. He cannot stay on the field with two separate season ending injuries (2020 & 2022). If it weren't for his health, he undoubtedly would have had better production and development throughout his college tenure.

2. Catch Reliability - While he is comfortable catching the ball away from his body and in contested situations, he dropped four passes this last season. For reference, he only had 27 receptions. His drops were pretty bad too, with one bouncing straight off of his chest on an easy screen pass in the Washington game. A nearly 13% drop rate may deter some teams.

3. Straight-Line Speed - He ran a 4.49 40, which is not awful, but his open field speed is clearly lacking on tape. He fails to separate deep on linear routes, and was not a home run threat with the ball in his hands.

Grade: Early-Mid Third

Pro Comparison: Keenan Allen

While Allen has spent most of his career in the slot, their route running styles are very similar. They both lack top end speed and attack the ball well in the air. Allen is much better after the catch, but Wilson is a better blocker. Both are similar caliber prospects coming out, Keenan Allen having the slight advantage.

Film Notes:

Good Game: Washington (09/24/2022): 6-176-2

Excellent release into press, turning the hips of the corner to the outside. Plays slot and out wide. High end reps into press. Some, but not much wasted movement on release. Good hands on block. Extremely sudden release. Consistently gains a step on the corner. Great blocker. Very physical underneath. Speed does not appear to match burst. Crisp lateral movements. Lacks top-end speed. Slight false step. Sudden movements, but a better route runner against outside press than off or from the slot. Reaches top speed quickly from single plant. Hands catch. Clever release package. Comfortable putting on multiple moves throughout a route. Good physicality on the route. Kind of a wild runner at times, making him unpredictable. Hands catches are comfortable for him. Dropped easy screen pass to his chest. One of the most sudden route runners in class. Looks like a bigger Garrett Wilson on some of these more atypical routes. Excellent contested catch. Decent open field run, but lacks speed. Caught the screen this time. Tough, but not necessarily strong runner. Smart angle on stop and go. Slower open field runner despite long touchdown.

Bad Game: Oregon (10/01/2022): 2-14-0

Completely blanketed by Christian Gonzalez throughout the duration of the route. Sudden release. Gonzalez is not giving him an inch. Usually a willing blocker. Did not initiate contact at second level. Not a RAC guy. Great block. Gonzalez completely outclasses him. Got a step on the inside with an arm over at the break. Lack of straight line speed shows. Great short area quickness. Bumrushed opposing corner unnecessarily George Pickens style. Excellent release. Begins using more physicality when pure agility is not working. Can completely turn a corner's hips, but does not have the acceleration to pull away. Route suddenness is incredible, but tries to do too much at times. A single move may have crossed the corner more effectively after turning his hips. Absolutely beautiful intermediate route. Gained separation down the field on the proceeding route. Routes are having a lot more success against people not named Christian Gonzalez. Very crisp movements overall, but lacked the speed to consistently pull away after his break.

Attributes (Grade/10):

Separation	Short	7.5
	Medium	9
	Deep	4

Short: Incredibly sudden release, but sometimes tries to do too much when the initial move may have been more effective. He is also picked up from the slot from squat coverage quite regularly. He has great suddenness and short area quickness, but is not quite refined enough to reliably separate within the first few yards of the line of scrimmage. That said, he still has many reps where he gains an immediate step with his quick release, warranting a 7.5/10 grade in this category which could improve once he is healthy enough to get consistent reps on the field.

Medium: His intermediate routes are incredible. Digs, comebacks, stops, and even complex routes usually leave him with some space. Whether it is his quick lateral burst and suddenness or odd moves he completely makes up on the fly, he knows how to work his opponent. He still could improve against off coverage, but he gains a step more than he does not.

Deep: His deep success usually comes from moves earlier in the route or contested situations. He does not understand how nor necessarily have the speed to pull away from his man downfield. He has routes deep where he has beaten his man underneath, thus boosting this grade slightly, but he does not understand the nuance of deeper route running as someone who cannot consistently rely purely on speed.

Release	Stance	8.5
	Acceleration	8
	Hip Control	9

Stance: His stance is typically perfect, but he occasionally has a false step which slows the route slightly. This is more common when in off coverage.

Acceleration: Excellent burst, but lesser acceleration. Essentially he is incredibly quick on his movements in any direction and has a good first step, but his second step lacks power. This leads to poor speed two to four steps into the route, allowing the corner to recover. Great initial twitch and suddenness, but he needs to work on his lower body power.

Hip Control: Wilson can decelerate and burst in any direction comfortably. He stays a little high at times, mitigating some of the power on his steps.

Hands	Catch Reliability	4
	Catch Radius	8.5
	Contested Catch	8.5

Catch Reliability: Four drops to go along with only 27 receptions is unacceptable.

Catch Radius: While he may drop easy chest passes, he can comfortably make extended catches away from his body.

Contested Catch: Good focus at the catch point, hauling in five receptions on ten contested catch opportunities.

RAC	Athleticism	8.5
	Agility	3
	Contact Balance	4

Athleticism: He looks the part on the field with his explosiveness, but he appears rather slight at 6'2. He also lacks straight line speed, which holds this grade back from being a 9+/10.

Agility: With two missed tackles forced on the season, his open field agility is clearly lacking.

Contact Balance: For someone who asserts physical dominance on routes and when blocking, Wilson gets held back by arm tackles in open space rather often. He needs to gain a bit of lower body strength heading into the NFL, which is not surprising given his lower body injury history.

Blocking	Technique	9
	Willingness	10

Technique: Great technique with his base, hands, and angles to get the block. He may struggle against linebackers if asked to block from the slot.

Willingness: Always looking for the block.

Coverage	Off	4.5
	Press	8.5

Off: His release and route breaks get a bit sloppier in off coverage. He also is not as comfortable finding and sitting in a zone underneath from the slot.

Press: He thrives into press coverage, understanding how to use movement and physicality at the line to turn the opposing corner's hips. Below are a few of his reps against press coverage from the Washington game.

Full Report:

Michael Wilson is an enticing prospect after going mostly under the radar until the Senior Bowl. His standout route running skills brought attention to his tape, where he proves that he has always had the skills that were on display in the Senior Bowl. His suddenness and twitch at 6'2 209lbs is remarkable. He can stop and start in an instant, and his entire body appears as if it is vibrating at times. His release is quick, efficient, and he has a variety of highly effective moves at the line. His combination of physicality and suddenness allow him to consistently turn the corner's hips from tight press. Proceeding his release, he can break with similar efficacy in nearly any direction. There is a distinct versatility and uniqueness to his route running in that there are moves he performs effectively that simply are not seen on other receivers. While he has the size, twitch, and athleticism coveted by the NFL, there is a reason he is not a highly coveted prospect. Injuries derailed his entire collegiate career. From 2020 through 2022, his red shirt senior season, he only played 14 games. He simply cannot stay healthy, and therefore had limited production. There are some areas of concern throughout his tape as well. While he is not polished by any means after missing so much time, him not being able to pull away from guys like Christian Gonzalez, who he will be seeing in the NFL, is concerning. He has great suddenness, but lacks power behind his acceleration. His lower top-end speed presents itself more clearly against better corner prospects because even when he gained a step at the break, the better corners could recovery quite easily. He also has a nearly 13% drop rate, which is extremely high for any receiving prospect. His lack of open-field running ability with only two missed tackles forced in 2022, unreliable hands, and lower linear speed make him less enticing of a prospect than anticipated after his studly Senior Bowl performance. All that said, he has movement skills and twitch that cannot be taught, while also possessing solid NFL wide receiver size. He is feisty, physical, and is great in contested catch situations as well as a willing and strong blocker. Despite having less reliable hands statistically, he is comfortable catching the ball away from his body. This all comes together to give him a grade in the early-mid third round, although a good combine could bolster that stock if he shows improved straight-line speed. His injury history, lack of polish, and the fact that he had no truly positive reps verses Gonzalez is scary, but his intriguing release package, twitch, and unique route running capability with regard to movement skills cannot be taught. He may not be the perfect prospect, but he surely made himself some money at the Senior Bowl. If he can get with a good coach who can work with his natural ability, then Wilson may just become a solid outside NFL wide receiver.

NFL Projection:

It is likely that Wilson is drafted a bit later due to his injury history and production. If he does not receive proper development or adequate draft investment, then he may not see the field as much throughout his career. If he gets drafted on day two to a team who can really mold his raw twitch and overall route running abilities, then he truly could become a great outside receiver in the NFL.