X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Garrett Wilson - NFL Draft Rookie Profile

Garrett Wilson fantasy football rankings rookies draft sleepers NFL draft

Andrew Lalama's NFL Draft rookie profile for Garrett Wilson. Read his 2022 NFL rookie outlook, his NFL Draft prediction, and fantasy football value.

The 2022 NFL Draft Prospect Profile series features prominent 2022 NFL Draft prospects with film analysis and scouting insights. I have experience working in college football and have been studying the NFL Draft for over 15 years. My analysis is based on film study and analytics. In 2021, I profiled nine of the top skill players in the draft. So far this season, I have written up profiles on Pittsburgh QB Kenny Pickett, Liberty QB Malik Willis, and North Carolina QB Sam Howell.

A common misconception about the NFL Draft is that the college and pro games are very similar. They are not. Besides the obvious difference in speed and skill level, a college field has different hash mark distances and different rules. There are specific schemes and plays that NFL teams copy from college and vice versa. But the differences between the two are understated in NFL Draft analysis. There's a reason many highly-productive college players are not considered legitimate professionals.

To that end, scouting prospects is not just about evaluating college performance, it’s about projecting traits that translate to the next level. This is not limited to just physical traits. There are certain football traits that are evident in college film and will translate to the pro game. For example, a wide receiver being able to get in and out of breaks efficiently will not change from college to pro. On the flip side, an edge rusher who got most of his sacks due to hustle or missed offensive line assignments may not have shown translatable traits on film. We will continue our 2022 Prospect Profile series with Ohio State WR Garrett Wilson.

Editor's Note: RotoBaller’s Dynasty content delivers year-round dynasty fantasy football rankings, trade advice, rookie analysis, and player outlooks. Build a title-winning roster with sleepers, stash targets, and our full dynasty fantasy football guide.

 

Garrett Wilson NFL Rookie Profile

Garrett Wilson is a 6-0, 183-pound versatile WR prospect who is coming off his best season as a Junior for Ohio State. In 2021, Wilson put up 70 catches for 1058 yards and 12 touchdowns as part of the best trio of receivers in the country. Wilson didn't actually lead the team in any of the major receiving categories, but all three of him, Chris Olave, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba will be starting NFL WRs soon enough. Wilson has special traits but his lack of ideal size could be an issue at the next level. Let's dive into the film.

 

Suddenness

When Cooper Kupp says something about NFL WR play - we should probably listen. "Speed is a luxury, quickness is a necessity" pertains to Garrett Wilson more than any WR in this year's class. Wilson has the luxury of top-end speed (4.37), but his suddenness is what separates him, literally.

The clip below shows Wilson getting five yards of separation on a sail route. He is sudden in and out of breaks and his lower body moves in ways others can't. He does unnecessarily jump to catch the ball, which we'll get to later.

The clip below shows Wilson getting three yards of separation against inside leverage on a slant route. He has uncommon quickness. You can also see the Madden-like cutback in the open field and a little stiff-arm.

In 2020, Wilson struggled a bit against press coverage. In 2021, he came back with a clear plan to improve in that area. There were fewer wasted steps and more violence on his jabs. The release below is poetry. Wilson jabs hard inside to move the CB then gets almost a full two yards of separation at the goal line, which is crazy. The key to the release is his sudden lower body and the quick and violent head-fake.

We'll get to his high-point prowess later, but in the clip above, I also love the way he attacks the football and then also brings it away from the defender to protect the catch. Special stuff.

The clip below shows a similar release and the same result. So far we've seen him gain significant separation on two verticals and a slant against inside leverage press man.

The clip below shows a mistake by the defense but is an example of Wilson's suddenness, speed, and mid-route handwork. Wilson takes inside access, then works to stack the quarters corner, swiping his outside arm down to react to mid-route contact. The corner simply isn't fast enough to even get hands-on and the safety has no angle to catch up. This is a beautiful deep post and a clinic on how to beat quarters coverage. More importantly, it shows Wilson's traits that translate. He can be a deep threat in the NFL.

 

High-Point Playmaker

Wilson has strong hands and made some special catches on poorly thrown low balls. However, the most impressive displays of his strong hands were in high-point situations, like the play below.

When we talk about separation, sometimes in the NFL that doesn't mean space on the field. It could mean somehow catching the ball away from the defender while covered. The CB Wilson is catching this over started on two National Championship teams (shoutout to the transfer portal) and will be playing on Sundays next year. Here's a closer look at an incredible willingness to attack the football and survive the ground to complete the catch:

The tweet below shows a similar catch against Michigan this year in snowy weather. Some dudes are just playmakers.

 

The NFL is a Different Beast

In 2020, Sophomore Garrett Wilson struggled a bit against Penn State's press coverage. The Penn State corners had more size and were generally more physical.

In the clip below, you can see what a good corner does when a WR doesn't sell inside enough. Compare this clip to the ones of Wilson winning above and you can see the difference. Here he just pops up, steps under himself, and doesn't sell the inside at all. It makes it easy for the corner to pin Wilson to the sideline.

Wilson isn't weak, but a 183-pound outside receiver isn't exactly ideal for the next level. His quickness advantage against Jalen Ramsey won't matter much if he can't get off the line. It's fair to wonder if he has enough functional strength to consistently win outside in the NFL.

The other translation question I have about Wilson's game is how effective he can be after the catch. Ja'Marr Chase is on everyone's mind after his unbelievable rookie season, and Wilson does remind me of Chase in terms of height, smoothness, and suddenness. However, Chase is almost 20 pounds heavier than Wilson and has a thick lower body. A better comparison for Wilson might be Marvin Harrison, who was obviously an amazing receiver but didn't specialize in yards after the catch.

The clip below shows Wilson getting some college YAC. His tendencies to hesitate and cut-back work in the Big Ten, but professional tacklers will make clips like this look a little different. This clip also shows Wilson getting jolted pretty well by the pursuing defender. While there are exceptions, the NFL is best suited for big and strong humans. Wilson isn't one, relative to pros.

The final critique of Wilson's game is his weird tendency to jump when catching the football. With 143 career catches, it obviously didn't hinder him too much at Ohio State, but it was super noticeable in the gauntlet at the combine. Receivers are taught to not jump when catching the ball unless in high-point situations. It's something to monitor more so because there's no way he wanted to do that at the combine so did he even prepare for the drill beforehand?

 

NFL Outlook

Garrett Wilson has the speed and quickness traits that definitely translate to the next level. He also has great hands. At the end of the day, those skills are basically all you need to succeed as a WR in the NFL. However, there are some question marks about his size, functional strength, and ability to win outside against pro corners. Wilson played some slot at Ohio State, and I wouldn't be shocked if some NFL teams saw him as a fit there more than outside.

I'm still in the process of scouting and ranking all the WRs, but Wilson is currently my WR1 by a small margin. There's a cluster at the top of this class. Depending on the situation he's drafted to, Wilson has a chance to provide solid fantasy value as a rookie.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more draft content in the coming days.

Other Prospect Profiles:

Malik Willis - QB, Liberty

Kenny Pickett - QB, Pittsburgh

Sam Howell - QB, North Carolina



Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy football app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, rankings, starts/sits & more. All free!

More NFL Rookie Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Xavier Worthy

Chiefs to Open Up Offense in 2025
Tallison Teixeira

Suffers First-Round TKO
Derrick Lewis

Scores First-Round TKO
Michael Lorenzen

Royals Put Michael Lorenzen on Injured List With Oblique Strain
Stephen Thompson

Loses Controversial Split Decision
Stefon Diggs

Likely to Begin Camp Working on the Side
Gabriel Bonfim

Wins Controversial Split Decision
Calvin Kattar

Gets Outclassed At UFC Nashville
Xavier Legette

Should be More Productive
Steve Garcia

Extends His Win Streak
Cole Bishop

has Good Shot to Win a Starting Job
Nate Landwehr

Gets Knocked Out
Nate Wiggins

Ravens Think Nate Wiggins has Star Potential
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere Scores Third-Round Knockout
Kel'el Ware

Collects 21 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Austen Lane

Suffers Submission Loss
Vitor Petrino

Scores First-Round Submission In Heavyweight Debut
Cam Spencer

Contract Being Restructured
Drew Timme

Scores 30 Points in Summer League Loss to Wizards
Quinshon Judkins

More Details Emerge on Quinshon Judkins' Arrest
Tuco Tokkos

Earns His First UFC Win
Alexandre Sarr

Logs Impressive Outing in Summer League Action on Sunday
Junior Tafa

Unsuccessful in his Light-Heavyweight Debut
Kaden Elliss

Could be Atlanta's Most Impactful Pass-Rusher
Kyle Filipowski

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss to Warriors
Darius Robinson

Ready to Make his Mark in 2025?
Jauan Jennings

Expected to Report for Training Camp
Trey Smith

the Only Player Still on the Franchise Tag
Cody Williams

Collects 22 Points in Summer League Loss on Sunday
Chase Elliott

Charges to A Finish of Third At Sonoma
Chase Briscoe

Finishes Second With his First Career Road-Course Top-Five at Sonoma
Christopher Bell

Rollercoaster Day Ends With Top-5 Finish at Sonoma
William Byron

Maintains the Regular-Season Points Lead
Kyle Busch

Earns A Hard-Fought Top-10 Finish At Sonoma
Jauan Jennings

Seeking New Deal or Trade From 49ers
Alex Ovechkin

Not Thinking About Retirement
PIT

Penguins Acquire Arturs Silovs
NHL

Nikolai Kovalenko Returns to Russia
Yoshinobu Yamamoto

Tosses Gem Against Giants
Shota Imanaga

Shuts Down Yankees on Sunday
Nathan Eovaldi

Dominant Again in Seventh Win
Tyler Reddick

Evades Near Upset to Remain Alive in In-Season Challenge
Ty Gibbs

One of Three Tylers to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinals
Kyle Larson

Curiously Mediocre at Sonoma Before Late-Race Crash
NASCAR

John H. Nemechek Edges Out Teammate to Make In-Season Challenge Semifinal
Alex Bowman

Ty Dillon Bumps Alex Bowman to Advance to In-Season Challenge Semifinal
A.J. Dillon

Not a Lock for a Roster Spot?
Chicago White Sox

Billy Carlson Goes 10th Overall to White Sox
Cincinnati Reds

Steele Hall Selected Ninth by Cincinnati
Toronto Blue Jays

Blue Jays Select JoJo Parker with Eighth Overall Pick
Boston Celtics

Damian Lillard Drawing Interest from the Celtics
Miami Marlins

Marlins Select Aiva Arquette With Seventh Overall Pick
Pittsburgh Pirates

Pirates Select Seth Hernandez with Sixth Overall Pick
Kyle Stowers

Punishes Former Team with Three-Homer Game
St. Louis Cardinals

Cardinals Select Liam Doyle with Fifth Overall Pick
Daniel Gafford

Agrees to Contract Extension with Dallas
Colorado Rockies

Rockies Select Ethan Holliday Fourth Overall
Seattle Mariners

Kade Anderson Selected Third Overall by Seattle
Ha-Seong Kim

X-rays on Ha-Seong Kim's Foot Come Back Negative
Los Angeles Angels

Tyler Bremner Selected Second Overall by Angels in 2025 MLB Draft
Washington Nationals

Nationals Select Eli Willits First Overall
Jake Meyers

to Miss More Than Three Weeks With Calf Injury
Cooper Flagg

Shut Down for Rest of Summer League
LeBron James

Hasn't Requested a Trade
Quinshon Judkins

Following Quinshon Judkins Arrest, NFL Declines Comment
Travis Hunter

Earning Praise in Jaguars Camp for Work Ethic
Memphis Grizzlies

Cole Anthony, Grizzlies Agree to Contract Buyout
Edward Cabrera

Hopeful to Avoid Injured List
Oneil Cruz

Absent on Sunday
Lars Nootbaar

Placed on 10-Day Injured List
Jake Burger

Scratched on Sunday
Shane Van Gisbergen

Can Anyone Beat Shane van Gisbergen at Sonoma?
Tyler Reddick

Better at Sonoma Than Record Shows
Chase Elliott

a Prime DFS Option at Sonoma
Julius Chestnut

Kalel Mullings Competing for RB3 Role
Michael McDowell

Struggling a Bit at Sonoma
Kimani Vidal

Fighting for No. 3 Job
Cam Hart

Recovering From Shoulder Surgery
NASCAR

Christopher Bell Has Never Finished Better Than Ninth at Sonoma
Ryan Blaney

Has Top-10 Upside at Sonoma
Quentin Johnston

Might Not Get Many Chances to Prove Himself
Tre Harris

Officially a Holdout
NASCAR

Sunday at Sonoma Will Likely Be a Long Race for Bubba Wallace
Kyle Larson

Is A Likely Top-Five Contender for Sonoma
Ryan Preece

Points Position Could Affect Race at Sonoma
Todd Gilliland

Struggling to Find Speed at Sonoma
Ty Gibbs

May be an Underrated Favorite to Compete for the Win at Sonoma
Travis Etienne Jr.

Needs to Bounce Back in 2025
Wan'Dale Robinson

Wants More Downfield Opportunities this Season
Alexandre Sarr

Plays Well in Summer League Loss to Phoenix
Yang Hansen

Looks Good on Friday Night
Erik Karlsson

Open to Move Away From Pittsburgh
Zach Hyman

Hopes to be Ready for Start of Next Season
SJ

Jeff Skinner Joins Sharks on One-Year Contract
Kon Knueppel

Struggles in Summer League Win
Walter Clayton Jr.

Plays Well on Friday Night
Cody Williams

Scores 21 Points in Summer League Loss
Kyle Filipowski

Leads the Way on Friday Night
Isaiah Jackson

Signs Three-Year Extension
Marvin Bagley III

Joining the Wizards
Herbert Jones

Signing Extension with Pelicans
Jacob Toppin

Returning to Hawks
Ryan Reaves

Traded to Sharks
Vladislav Kolyachonok

Moves to Dallas
Matt Dumba

Lands in Pittsburgh
Mackie Samoskevich

Re-Signs with Panthers on One-Year Deal
Josh Manson

Inks Two-Year Extension with Avalanche
EDM

Isaac Howard Signs Three-Year, Entry-Level Contract With Oilers
Tallison Teixeira

Set For His First UFC Main Event
Derrick Lewis

Set To Headline UFC Nashville
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks For His Third UFC Win
Stephen Thompson

Returns At UFC Nashville
Steve Garcia

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Calvin Kattar

In Dire Need Of Victory
Morgan Charrière

Morgan Charriere A Favorite At UFC Nashville
Nate Landwehr

Aims To Bounce Back
MMA

Austen Lane Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Gary Woodland

Looking to Find Rhythm at Scottish Open
Aaron Rai

Brings Consistent Play to Scottish Open
Maverick McNealy

a Solid Value Play at Scottish Open
Aldrich Potgieter

Making Scottish Open Debut
Tom Kim

Looks to Rebound at Scottish Open
Brian Harman

a Safe Option at Scottish Open
Luke Clanton

a Sneaky Value Play at Scottish Open
Sam Burns

Looking to Stay Hot at Scottish Open
Nicolai Hojgaard

May Feel More at Home in Europe
Harry Hall

Showing Fine Form Heading to Scotland
Ryan Fox

Playing Well Since Early Spring Struggles
Max Greyserman

has Solid History at the Genesis Scottish Open
Harris English

Aims High for Scotland Next
Corey Conners

Primed for the Genesis Scottish Open
Daniel Brown

Attempts the Scottish Swing Again
Jacob Bridgeman

Needs Putter to Work at Genesis Scottish Open
Scottie Scheffler

Headlines Field at Genesis Scottish Open
Rory McIlroy

a Smart Play for Scottish Open
Adam Scott

Looking to Build on History at The Renaissance Club
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF