Garrett Wilson Summer Scouting Report

Next up on our summer scouting series War Room Scouting goes to Columbus, Ohio to take a look at Ohio State receiver Garrett Wilson.

Background

Garrett Wilson is a player that knows a long and winding journey eventually comes full circle.

Born in Chicago, Illinois, Wilson would spend the first 5 years of his life in the Windy City before moving to Dublin, Ohio living just 20 minutes away from the University of Ohio State. In Dublin is where Wilson found his passion for football playing flag football at an early age and continued to play until he was 11 years old. When Wilson turned 12 he and his family would move again, this time opting for Austin, Texas. With the rich tradition and passion that is present in the state of Texas regarding football it wasn’t hard for Wilson to fully commit to the sport and have exposure come his way.

Playing for Lake Travis High School located in Austin, Texas, Wilson would make himself a coveted prospect not only in his home state but the entire country. According to 247 Sports Recruiting Rankings Wilson was given a consensus 5 star rating and was graded as the 2nd best receiver and the 3rd best player overall in the state of Texas for the 2019 recruiting class.

When it came time to making a decision Wilson came full circle when he committed to play for the University of Ohio State and come back to the state he found his passion for the sport of football in. He looks to join the historic lineage of receivers to come out of the Buckeye program such as Cris Carter (1987, Minnesota Vikings), Joey Galloway (1995, Seattle Seahawks), Terry Glenn (1996, New England Patriots), Michael Jenkins (2004, Atlanta Falcons), Santonio Holmes (2006, Pittsburgh Steelers), Ted Ginn Jr. (2007, Miami Dolphins), Michael Thomas (2016, New Orleans Saints), Terry McLaurin (2019, Washington Football Team).

Entering the 2019 season Wilson would find himself in a wide receiver room that allowed him to slowly grow as a player at his own pace. With current NFL receivers such as K.J. Hill (Los Angeles Chargers), Binjimen Victor (Baltimore Ravens), and Austin Mack (New York Giants) being solidified starters on the roster Wilson would benefit observing their play while also taking the most of his opportunities when they came his way. Wilson would finish his freshman campaign appearing in 13 games collecting 30 receptions, 432 yards, 14.4 yards per reception, and 5 touchdowns. Wilson would show his true potential in the 2019 Playstation Fiesta Bowl against Clemson where he would make an acrobatic and highlight reel worthy reception early in the first quarter. Despite his efforts Ohio State would lose to Clemson 29-23 ending the season with a 13-1 record.

Going into the 2020 season Wilson was expected to replace the production of recent receiver departures in the program. Wilson would take this responsibility head on and would see a positive outcome from it. Despite a shortened schedule Wilson displayed positive progression in each statistical category of his play. Wilson would end his 2020 season with 43 receptions, 723 yards, 16.8 yards per reception, and 6 touchdowns. His new contribution in the Ohio State offense would help them reach the 2021 College Football National Championship against Alabama. While Wilson put up a serviceable performance against the Crimson Tide it would not come to fruition as his Buckeyes would lose by a score of 52-24. As the season concluded Wilson was still noticed for his 2020 campaign as he would earn a First Team All Big Ten Selection.

Entering the 2021 season Wilson will need to continue his positive play in the Ohio State offense with a new quarterback operating the offense after the departure former Ohio State and current Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields.

Positives

Natural vertical speed

The first positive trait that is a part of Wilson’s game is the speed that at which he carries post snap. Coming off the line Wilson possesses long galloping strides to navigate space helping him eat up yardage at an effective pace. With Wilson’s natural running ability, he can stretch the field vertically and horizontally allowing for schematic versatility to attack different levels of the field. Whether it being deep or short passing concepts, Wilson’s vertical speed ultimately comes to his benefit when setting up the stem of his routes. Having the strides and efficiency at which he covers ground allows Wilson to reach the top of his stem in an expedited and efficient manner.

Route running nuance

Combined with the vertical speed to cover up ground and develop the stem of his route Wilson finishes his play with nuanced and technical route running. Perhaps his best trait, Wilson is very sudden, creative, and savvy in his route running process. Against man coverage Wilson displays a good understanding of how to read the leverage of cornerbacks without declaring his own. He does this by keeping his head and body square to the defender reading the visual cues of the desired leverage of the opposing cornerback. Once Wilson understands what leverage to attack, he displays good lower body flexibility to sink his hips and snap into his cut. Wilson’s swift change of direction skills and cognition of leverage makes him a meaningful asset against man heavy defenses. In situations in which defenses deploy a form of off coverage Wilson’s enhanced comprehension of leverage helps him dictate space between him and the defender. With the amount of cushion afforded to Wilson he can vary his route setups, at times going with a slow and manipulative buildup with a quick finish or a fast and sharp result that utilizes false steps and head fakes to receive early declaration from the defender. Just the versatility and arsenal that Wilson possesses in his releases regardless of the coverage has shown that Wilson can be a reliable receiver moving forward.

Field awareness

With the speed and route running prowess that is a premium part of Wilson’s game, a small but consistent detail that shows up when watching Wilson is his understanding of space around the field. While Wilson can separate from defenders in one-on-one situations, he also has the improvisational ability to make himself an open receiver when he is not targeted at the top of his route. Wilson frequently showed this in situations against zone coverage as he was able to find soft spots in certain coverages to re – establish his availability as receiver. This in unison made life easy for quarterback Justin Fields in 2020 as he was able to rely on Wilson to work around space and make himself an open target when all other options were covered. Wilson’s display of field navigation and understanding of weaknesses in certain coverages has made him a consistent and cognizant receiver when plays begin to break down and improvisation is needed.

Negatives

Focus drops

While Wilson does have the ability to separate from defenders on a consistent basis, one issue that has popped up in his play are some focus drops at the catch point. Instances where this is displayed is in the short passing game as at the top of Wilson’s route, he tends to cut up field before fully completing the catch. These reps result in easy but costly drops as Wilson’s propensity to look for yardage instead of looking the ball into his hands comes to his detriment. Although it is important for receivers to gain yardage after the catch in the short passing game, finishing at the catch point is the foundation for a successful play.

Run blocking

Another error that is found in Wilson’s play his inconsistency as a run blocker. In situations where run blocking is required Wilson lacked the desired strength and technique in 2020 to block at a confident level. In many instances Wilson led pursuing cornerbacks to get into his chest controlling his leverage and positioning. Due to this Wilson was not reliable to block isolated cornerbacks on run sets approaching his side of the formation usually leading to his running back being tackled prematurely. In 2021 Wilson will need to improve his functional strength and willingness as a run blocker to limit cornerbacks gaining an advantage when it comes to enforcing run concepts.

Games Watched

vs Indiana (2020), vs Nebraska (2020), vs Penn State (2020)

Scheme Fit

An ideal X receiver in a spread offense that offers him the ability to move in certain alignments depending on the matchup to fully maximize his vertical speed and route running prowess.

Grade

1.2 (Player that falls in between numbers 11-21)

Pro Comparison: Rashod Bateman

Wilson’s pro comparison is recent 2021 Baltimore Ravens first round draft pick Rashod Bateman. Both players possess a nuanced and technical approach to route running and have a keen understanding of how to properly set up their routes. Both show the innate ability to read the leverage of defenders and attack at the most advantageous position possible in order to separate at the top of their route. Each player also utilizes their natural vertical speed to their advantage in order to eat up yardage and challenge defenses at different levels of the field making them diverse and impactful weapons for their respective offense.

Final Summary

Garrett Wilson is a receiver that is more nuanced than his peers when it comes to route running at the college level. Wilson’s arsenal of releases and routes makes his skillset diverse and effective. Combined with his understanding of how to attack the space and leverage of defenders, he is a reliable asset to beat both press and off coverages. While separation is key for the success of a receiver Wilson will need to limit focus drops seen on tape and show steady improvement as a run blocker to fully complete his profile as a receiver. If Wilson can improve on these issues in his play, he has the traits and savvy that offensive coordinators are looking for in the NFL when it comes to a pure technician at the receiver position. If a positive year comes to fruition in 2021 Wilson has the potential to be the first receiver taken off the board in next year’s draft.