Roman Wilson, WR Michigan: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Wilson was a four-star recruit from St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii in the class of 2020

Roman Wilson emerged as Michigan’s leading receiver in 2023, vaulting himself into the top 100 conversation for the 2024 NFL Draft. His physical profile has its limitations, but Wilson creates consistent separation. That’s vital for a receiver who wants to win at all three levels.

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Roman Wilson, WR Michigan: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior slot receiver from Maui, Hawaii

Background: Wilson was a four-star recruit from St. Louis High School in Honolulu, Hawaii in the class of 2020. He was the No. 354 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 268 for On3.com. Wilson was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, he produced 61 receptions for 1,025 yards and 11 touchdowns, including eight receptions for 171 yards and a score in the state championship game. Wilson caught 32 passes for 803 yards and seven touchdowns as a junior. He and St. Louis won four consecutive state titles in the HHSAA’s Open Division. Wilson’s school won 38 consecutive games to close his high school career. He was selected for the 2020 Polynesian Bowl All-Star Game. Wilson ran a 4.37 40-yard dash at Nike’s The Opening regional camp in 2019. He participated on the track and field team as a sprinter and jumper. Wilson was born on June 19, 2001.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2021 Nebraska game with a wrist injury, missed two games with a head injury in 2022

Awards: N/A

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return and punt return units, experience playing outside and in the slot, will test fast, impressive acceleration early in the route, dusts flat-footed DBs, teams must respect his speed, routes are well-defined with sharp cuts thanks to his agility, excellent timing to match windows, sharp mid-route cuts to create separation, separates on crossers, doesn’t fear working over the middle of the field, creates separation at the stem’s top on comebacks, decelerates quickly, effective whip route, nice stutter-go, nice choppy footwork, quick feet to gear down and up, mixes route tempo, throws effective shoulder and head fakes, splits the safeties, excellent at finding holes to sit in zone, rarely drops the ball, soft hands, natural hands catcher, adjusts well to poorly placed throws, extends to make plays outside of his frame, strong hands to finish catches through contact, works back to the ball through contact, competes when he lands a block

Cons: Likely a slot-only option in the NFL, lean frame, average build with no outstanding physical features, release package must expand, lacks play strength to battle through physical press coverage, routes are stunted by press, re-routed by contact, struggles to navigate through traffic, inconsistent hip sink at the stem’s peak, route fakes can be easily deciphered at times, speed doesn’t pop as much as expected, struggled to stack Minnesota’s Tre'Von Jones (2023), rarely threatens off-man defenders vertically in 2023, not twitchy or sudden with the ball in his hands, doesn’t break many tackles, limited YAC production, takes poor angles to blocks

Overview: Wilson has special teams experience on the kick return and punt return units and aligns in the slot and out wide for Michigan. Based on his high school numbers, he should test fast at the NFL Combine. Wilson has impressive acceleration early in the route to overtake flat-footed defenders. Teams must respect Wilson’s vertical speed, but he has struggled to stack defenders consistently this year. His speed falls short of elite but gives him three-level value. Michigan frequently puts him in motion before the snap so he releases with a head of steam. The senior’s routes include sharp cuts and are well-defined. He showcases good agility to execute sharp cuts and separate mid-route and at the top of the stem. Wilson uses his speed to separate on crossing routes and doesn’t fear working over the middle of the field despite his limited play strength. He decelerates quickly with fast feet, which helps with comeback and whip routes. Wilson runs an effective stutter-go and mixes route tempo well. He throws shoulder and head fakes to complement his momentum shifts and quick footwork. The former four-star recruit times and matches windows at an elite level. He is excellent at finding holes in zone. Wilson is a natural hands catcher who rarely drops the ball. He has an average build with no outstanding physical features but still does a good job expanding his catch radius by meeting throws at the apex. Wilson has strong hands to finish catches through contact. He adjusts well to poorly placed throws and works back to the ball through contact. Wilson puts in effort as a blocker but takes poor angles to blocks and has low play strength. The Hawaii native is likely a slot-only option in the NFL because of his lean frame and struggles against press coverage. He lacks the physicality to fight through press coverage cleanly, and his routes are stunted by press. Contact during the play re-routes Wilson and messes with his timing. He doesn’t navigate through traffic well. He must continue expanding his release package to mitigate these concerns. Wilson’s hip sink at the stem’s peak is inconsistent, and his route fakes are too easy to decipher at times. He is not a twitchy or sudden athlete after the catch and lacks the strength to break a significant volume of tackles. This makes him a limited option after the catch.

Overall, Wilson creates separation with his agility, footwork, and speed and has the athletic profile to win at all three levels. However, his frame and lack of play strength confine him to the slot and limit his upside after the catch. Wilson is best served as a WR3 early in his career as he adjusts to the NFL’s physicality.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot receiver in an offense with plenty of pre-snap motion

Round Projection: Mid Third to Early Fourth

Size: 6'0", 192 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 11-16-23