Age: 22
Height: 6’3″
Weight: 220 lbs.
College: Arkansas
Class: r-Senior
Stats
2011 – QB rating: 148.4 | Comp/Att: 277/438 | Comp%: 63.2 | Yards: 3,638 | TD: 24 | INT: 6
2010 – QB rating: 155.4 | Comp/Att: 34/51 | Comp%: 66.7 | Yards: 453 | TD: 4 | INT: 3
2009 – QB rating: 119.2 | Comp/Att: 22/36 | Comp%: 61.1 | Yards: 218 | TD: 2 | INT: 2
2008* – QB rating: 73.2 | Comp/Att: 11/22 | Comp%: 50.0 | Yards: 69 | TD: 1 | INT: 2
*Received a medical hardship.
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Positives
-Stellar arm with great velocity and zip. Can make all the throws with ease.
-Does a nice job of ‘feeling’ pressure and keeping his eyes down field.
-Stands tall and delivers passes without fear while defenders are bearing down on him.
-Squares shoulders nicely before throwing the football.
-Very good athlete. Above-average at creating time with his feet while scrambling.
-Typically displays good ability to protect the football with two hands while scrambling behind the line of scrimmage.
-Wisely slides to avoid big hits from defenders when scrambling past the line of scrimmage.
-Doesn’t often place passes in dangerous areas; generally keeps the ball where only his man has a chance.
-Capable of going through progressions with patience, but making quick reads if necessary.
-Doesn’t often ‘overthrow’ short-to-intermediate range passes. Exhibits good touch.
-Pretty tight spiral on most passes. No problems throwing a catchable ball.
-Kept turnovers through the air very limited; only six interceptions in 2011, and no mutli-INT games.
-Accuracy is better than statistics would lead you to believe — and statistics aren’t bad. Dealt with drops from receivers.
-Highly productive in a tough SEC conference, and allowed for a seamless transition in the post-Ryan Mallett era at Arkansas.
Negatives/Questions
-Mechanics outside of the pocket need development.
-Doesn’t release the ball at it’s highest point on a consistent basis. Has a bit of sidearm action — which is even more exaggerated while throwing on the run.
-Gets rid of the ball quickly, but has a tendency to cock his arm back during throwing motion, lengthening his release a bit.
-Could do a better job leading receivers on crossing routes, allowing them to run after the catch.
-Primarily took snaps out of shotgun; footwork is a little raw while dropping back.
-Tends to throw the ball before properly setting his feet.
-Occasionally puts too much muscle on deep passes, forcing some unnecessary incompletions.
-Will sometimes stare down targets.
-Average play-action. Not necessarily a weakness, but not a strength either.
Final Thoughts
A comparable player to that of Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler both as a player and prospect, Wilson has all the necessary tools to be successful in the NFL. Like Cutler, I project Wilson (at this time) to be the third quarterback selected in the 2013 NFL Draft behind Matt Barkley and Logan Thomas. The former high school baseball star has a very high ceiling, and if he manages to put up similar numbers this season + tighten up his overall mechanics, he’ll undoubtedly pique the interest of teams picking in the top 10-15 range next April.
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-DC
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