Scouting Report: Roman Wilson (WR) - Michigan
Sales Pitch: "Speedy slot WR with the quickness and burst to beat man and zone coverage. Is undersized and struggles to win through contact but is extremely tough and dependable. Has plus speed to push the field vertically and the ball skills to create big plays."
Athletic Profile
Height: 5’ 10 3/4”
Weight: 185 lbs
Arm Length: 30 3/8”
Hand Size: 9 3/8”
40 Yard Dash: 4.39
10 Yard Split: 1.51
Vertical: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
Short Shuttle: 4.07
3-Cone: 6.89
Age: 22
Relative Athletic Score: 8.59 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 107 REC - 1,707 YDS - 16.0 YPR - 20 TD
2023: 48 REC - 789 YDS - 16.4 YPR - 12 TD
Strengths
Fluid athlete with very good top end speed
Junk yard dog mentality working over the middle
Routinely made big catches late in games and on third down
Explosive first step to quickly eat up ground vs off coverage
Excellent separator out of the slot when given a two way go
Good spatial awareness when navigating zone coverage
Weaponizes deep speed to separate on the vertical route tree
6% career drop rate
Outstanding body control on the move and in the air
Elite effort as a run blocker
Weaknesses
Slight frame with limited play strength
NFL slot only
Fails to beat press coverage off the line
Reroutes are effective at disrupting his timing
Lacks deception and creativity in his stems
Limited catch radius due to short arms
Athletic ability doesn’t to translate with the ball in his hands
Struggles to break tackles as a ball carrier
Summary
Roman Wilson is a speedy WR who is at his best working from the slot. The former 4-Star recruit from Hawaii was All-Big 10 in 2023 after leading the National Championship winning Wolverines in receiving yards. Wilson thrives working out of the slot and in stack alignments where he can leverage his excellent change of direction skills. When given a clean release he is far too quick to contain one on one and generates consistent separation underneath. Wilson does a good job finding soft spots over the middle versus zone coverage and shows dependable hands, making him a favorite target on 3rd down. He also has the deep speed (4.39 40-time) to stretch defenses vertically. He displays good ball tracking skills and body control to finish big plays on throws of 20+. The biggest concern with Wilson’s game is his lack of size and strength. He fails to consistently win against press coverage on the outside and reroutes are particularly effective against him. He struggles to separate versus defenders at the top of his routes who are in phase and gets hands on. Despite his good concentration skills at the catch point he can get out-muscled in contested catch scenarios. Wilson is a very good athlete but does not translate it well to yards after the catch. He lacks the size to break tackles in the open field, often going down on first contact. For a smaller player Wilson is an exceptional blocker. He has good technique and takes strong angles to cut off DBs at the second level. He plays with tenacious effort and toughness that is infectious to an offense. Wilson projects best as a starting slot/WR3 who wins with speed and quickness at all three levels. His lack of size or strength reduces his overall upside but his blend of toughness, IQ and movement skills will translate right off the bat at the next level, making him a plug and play starter.