Johnny Wilson, WR Florida State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Wilson was a four-star recruit from Calabasas High School in Calabasas, Calif. in the class of 2020

The Florida State Seminoles play the LSU Tigers tonight. FSU wide receiver Johnny Wilson is a height, weight, speed prospect who projects as a top 75 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.

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Johnny Wilson, WR Florida State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior wide receiver from Pacoima, Calif.

Background: Wilson was a four-star recruit from Calabasas High School in Calabasas, Calif. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 116 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 104 for Rivals, and No. 283 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 94th in the nation with an 83 grade out of 100. Wilson originally committed to Oregon before flipping to Arizona State. He transferred to Florida State for the 2022 season. He was a four-year contributor in high school, amassing 187 receptions for 3,032 yards and 43 touchdowns. As a senior, Wilson produced 37 receptions for 606 yards and eight touchdowns. He totaled 40 receptions for 672 yards and ten touchdowns as a junior and 52 receptions for 899 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore. Wilson’s freshman year included producing 58 receptions for 855 yards and 14 touchdowns and winning the Division 5 Southern Section Title. He was invited to the Under Armour All-America Game and the Polynesian Bowl All-Star Game.

Injuries & Off-Field: Exited early in win vs. Duquesne (2022)

Awards: 2022 Second Team All-ACC

Pros: Some experience operating in the slot, elite size and weight combination, long arms expand his catch radius and help him block, gets off the line well for a player his size, good top speed, foot fire release, physicality to fight through press and early contact in the route, sinks hips on comeback routes, decent turn speed on short comebacks, excellent at setting up DBs with outside moves before breaking back inside and threatening the open middle of the field on post routes, high points the ball over defenders, impressive leaping ability, downfield ball tracking, jump ball expertise and red zone threat, comfortable making catches in crowded air spaces, finds the holes in zone between the defense’s second and third levels, willing blocker who uses his size and length to his advantage, strength mismatch when blocking DBs, arm extensions create knockback when blocking

Cons: Minimal to no special teams experience, six drops and penalized three times in 2022, high-cut build, large body makes him an easy target in press, simplistic release package, instances of being sluggish off the line, speed doesn’t threaten defenders in off coverage, speed doesn’t lead to significant vertical separation, doesn’t execute sharp routes, drifts downfield on routes, route definition and hip sink vary, time halting momentum and turning hips on intermediate comeback routes allows DB to crash down, not a natural separator, locked down in the redzone by Clemson (2022), linear athlete with limited dynamic agility, not elusive with the ball in his hands, doesn’t break many tackles, needs to take better angles to blocks some body catches, hand placement and footwork as a blocker must improve to sustain blocks

Overview: Wilson has some experience operating in the slot, but he primarily aligns out wide. His combination of size and weight is elite. Wilson’s frame features long arms that expand his catch radius and help him lock out defenders when blocking. His build is high cut, which leads to an inconsistent amount of sink in his hips at the top of his routes. Wilson gets off the line well for a player his size and reaches a good top speed. However, there are instances of him being sluggish off the line and not getting involved with the play early enough to help his quarterback. His large build makes him an easy target in press coverage, and his release package doesn’t include much beyond a standard foot fire release. Fortunately, Wilson has the power to fight through press and early contact in the route. He attempts to sink his hips on comeback routes but isn’t always focused on this element of the route. Wilson executes short comeback routes well, but he struggles to halt his momentum and get his hips around on intermediate to deep comebacks. This happens because he builds up more speed at the intermediate to deep levels to sell the vertical route before entering his break. The All-ACC wide receiver is excellent at setting up defensive backs with outside moves before breaking back inside on deep post routes over the middle of the field. Wilson’s speed doesn’t threaten defenders in off coverage or lead to significant vertical separation. He drifts downfield on routes and doesn’t execute sharp cuts consistently. The redshirt junior isn’t a natural separator, so he falls back on his ball skills. Wilson high points the ball over defenders and shows off his impressive leaping ability. He tracks the ball downfield well and is comfortable making catches in crowded air spaces. This also makes Wilson a jump ball threat in the red zone, although Clemson’s (2022) defensive backs locked him down in the red zone. The Arizona State transfer is a linear athlete with limited dynamic agility. He isn’t elusive with the ball in his hands and doesn’t break many tackles. Teams won’t draft him expecting much after the catch. Wilson finds the holes in zone between the defense’s second and third levels. He dropped half a dozen passes in 2022. The California native is a willing blocker who uses his size and length to his advantage. He is a size and strength mismatch for defensive backs who generates knockback with his arm extensions. He can improve as a blocker by taking better angles to defenders and refining his hand placement and footwork to sustain blocks longer.

Overall, Wilson is defined by his height, weight, speed combination and the unique things he can do against cornerbacks at his size, but he generates limited separation against man coverage. Wilson will need to survive on a diet of contested catches and zone beaters at the next level. His ceiling is likely as a team’s second-leading receiver.

Role & Scheme Fit: X receiver or big slot in an 11 personnel heavy scheme

Round Projection: Late Second to Early Third

Size: 6'7", 240 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 08-01-23