He was a household name among Michigan football fans, and it appears he’s about to become a household name to everyone else.
The maize and blue faithful are well aware of just how good wide receiver Roman Wilson is: the circus catch against Nebraska and the touchdown vs. Ohio State, or timely plays made in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama and in the national championship game against Washington.
Now Wilson is one of the Wolverines’ entrants in the Reese’s Senior Bowl, and he’s garnering wide praise from those in attendance. Even ESPN is taking notice.
In ESPN’s live notes from Birmingham (subscription required), the worldwide leader has Wilson as the biggest riser of anyone on Day 1 of Senior Bowl practice.
I have Michigan receiver Roman Wilson as my top riser of the morning. He was simply unguardable during the first day of practice. His success during the one-on-one session carried over into the 11-on-11 team portion, and he looked great racing past the defense to catch a deep route from Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman. Wilson served a limited role in Michigan’s run-heavy offense, but he was able to show what’s he’s capable of as a route runner on Tuesday, and showed strong hands as well. Wilson — who caught 12 touchdown passes this season — is already a major stock-up candidate; I had him projected for Round 4, but he could enter Day 2 conversations.
Michigan hasn’t had a wide receiver go in the early rounds in eons, but if Wilson continues to put on a show and tests well at the NFL combine (as expected), it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him rise up the depth charts.
While that would be good for him personally, that could also pay dividends when it comes to recruiting — showing that even with Michigan’s run-heavy system, a star wideout could still be an early draft pick.
We’ll continue to monitor his progress as he prepares for the NFL showcase.