Halicke: Wilson can be exactly what Steelers need at receiver

Even with the NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, the Steelers are still trying to add to the wide receiver room.

However, the lone receiver selected by Pittsburgh, Roman Wilson, is out to prove himself to be a major upgrade. And, he just might have the tools to become that impact player early in his career. Maybe even as soon as the upcoming season.

Before we dive into the data and film, it's appropriate and necessary to acknowledge the potential value of this pick. The Steelers selected Wilson 84th overall, which is far below where he was ranked on most big boards on draft sites. And, more importantly, Wilson was projected to be a second-round pick after a great showing at the Senior Bowl and testing really well at the Combine. Teams were enamored with Wilson's potential. There were definitely teams that had a second-round grade on him.

Nevertheless, he remained available at 84th overall. The biggest deterrent for teams might have been his size, which leaves a bit to be desired. He stands 5-11 and weighed 185 pounds at the Combine. He also has 30 3/8-inch arms, which is in the 20th percentile of receivers in his class, and his 72 1/4-inch wing span is in the ninth percentile. The smaller the body, the smaller the catch radius.

But, to put his size into context, Wilson is nearly an identical size to former Steeler Diontae Johnson. Wilson is just a 1/2-inch taller than Johnson, and they both weigh almost the exact same. Johnson has slightly longer arms and wider wing span, but it's not so different that Wilson is incapable of overcoming his lack of size. This might be one of the reasons why some fans think of Wilson as a good replacement for Johnson.

The biggest reason why Wilson can be productive in spite of his size is his electrifying athleticism. And, he's fast. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash at the Combine, the same speed as late first-round pick Xavier Legette and early second-round pick Ladd McConkey.

Wilson used his elite speed to his advantage in Michigan's offense, primarily attacking the intermediate and deeper levels of the defense, which complemented Michigan's ground-and-pound attack (and could also complement the Steelers' offense, which will also be a run-first system).

Wilson was most dangerous when running posts and crossers to the aforementioned portions of the field, as his speed and acceleration into top gear helped create separation:

On this play, Wilson winds up in the slot after the pre-snap motion and gets open with ease. His speed gets him out in the open in just a couple of seconds, quickly giving the quarterback an easy target downfield.

Here are a couple of different ways Wilson got open on these type of crossers, which really display his speed and football IQ:

Here, I really like how Wilson (top right) gains leverage underneath the defender by putting his foot in the ground and hitting a second gear. This is one way he can gain separation at the NFL level, regardless of the routes he's running.

In watching every single target of his 2023 season, I determined Wilson can be a little too reliant on his straightaway speed to beat defenders. But, the previous rep is something he's more than capable of, which could really help him at the NFL level, regardless of whether he's playing in the slot or outside.

I might like this rep even more. Wilson identifies the soft spot in the defense while in the middle of his route, slightly breaking it off a little more shallow than designed. This is some savvy route running that gives the quarterback a wide open target in space. There are different ways of getting open within the structure of the offense, and Wilson has the ability to do that in multiple ways.

There are two other traits from Wilson that really stood out to me, and also provides some optimism that he'll be a great fit in Pittsburgh. First off, Wilson is tenacious. He will find different ways to overcome his size. As we've already seen, speed is his greatest weapon. But, even in passes that aren't ideal for a smaller receiver, Wilson finds ways to win more often than he should.

This is no better displayed than in this phenomenal catch against Nebraska last season:

According to Pro Football Focus, Wilson won 52.9% of his contested catch opportunities in four seasons at Michigan. For reference, George Pickens -- who is well more equipped to win contested catches with a much larger body, longer arms and elite body control -- has won 50.9% of his opportunities over his first two NFL seasons. Now, Pickens is obviously facing much more difficult competition. But, the point is Wilson does very well in winning contested passes.

Wilson is not only tenacious -- and dare I say, relentless -- but he is also very physical. Despite his smaller size, Wilson does not shy away from contact. And yes, I am talking about his commitment to blocking in the running game:

Here, I love how Wilson (far left) is able to immediately pivot back inside and take on a block against larger bodies. When teams are trying to defend outside runs, defensive backs try to maintain outside leverage and funnel the play back inside where the defensive linemen and linebackers have a better chance of stopping the run. When you have a receiver that is a willing blocker to the inside, that can help counter that leverage and give running backs the one-on-ones they are looking for against defensive backs on the perimeter.

But, it's Wilson's willingness to block in dangerous spots that does it for me. Last season, the Steelers had Allen Robinson for that. Say what you will about his production as a receiver, but Robinson was a tenacious and willing blocker in the running game. There were even times he ran full sprint to take on a block in the C-gap. There aren't many receivers that are truly willing to do that. In watching Wilson's tape, I really love how he looks for contact on running plays, and also how he looks to finish blocks.

If the previous rep didn't do it for you, maybe this one will:

Enough said. But, there are other ways we can see that Wilson doesn't shy from contact.

Despite his size, Wilson does most of his work over the middle of the field. Last season, 33 of his 48 catches were in between the numbers, according to PFF. That obviously means Wilson runs the risk of taking on heavy hits like this one:

Oftentimes, receivers hear footsteps and don't come down with these catches. But, nothing stops Wilson from staying on his route, looking the ball in and securing the catch through a very big hit. The Steelers didn't really have a receiver on the roster who can do this. Wilson provides the Steelers another target, along with Pat Freiermuth, that can make catches in traffic over the middle while absorbing contact.

There's a lot to like about Wilson's game. He truly embodies Mike Tomlin's famous cliché, "I'd rather say, 'Whoa' than 'Sic 'em.'" There isn't anything Wilson is afraid to do. And, he couples that with superb athleticism, elite speed and very, very sure hands. He dropped only seven passes in four seasons at Michigan, a drop rate of 6.1%. But, he's coming off a season in which he dropped only one pass, a drop rate of only 2%. 

The one thing I worry about in how Wilson's game will translate to the NFL level is how he can evolve as a route runner. While Wilson is very fast, his change of direction in his route running is a bit underwhelming when considering how great of an athlete he is. He also needs to better understand how to attack leverage when lined up in man coverage.

This is why there are concerns about Wilson having to play the majority of snaps in the slot -- which he did at Michigan -- while Johnson was able to consistently line up outside and gain elite separation year after year, despite them both being about the same size:

Johnson knows every trick in the book when it comes to gaining separation, coupling that with an elite ability to change direction on a dime. Despite the cornerback having significant outside leverage here, Johnson manages to get very wide open on an out route. This is because Johnson attacks the cornerback's inside hip, and the moment the he sees the cornerback flip his hips inside to commit to the inside route, Johnson immediately cuts outside to gain the leverage advantage. This is route running at its finest.

Wilson has the tools to become a very good route runner. He's not quite as twitchy as Johnson, but he's got quick enough feet to beat cornerbacks off the line and win leverage, as he did against Quinyon Mitchell at the Senior Bowl:

In my humble opinion, taking into account all of the traits Wilson has at his disposal, how he grows as a route runner will best define his ceiling at the NFL level. Over the past two seasons, 77% of Wilson's snaps on passing plays were in the slot, according to PFF. Wilson will see more off coverage in the slot, which gives him the best chance to get open.

But, how will he fare when he lines up outside and has to face press man coverage? How quickly can he learn better ways to attack leverage and use his athleticism to gain separation? It's more than possible. I'd even argue that Wilson is a better athlete than Johnson coming out of college. This really depends on how he can grow as a route runner.

Remember how I previously mentioned that Wilson might rely on his speed a little too much to beat defenders? He won't get away with that at the NFL level. If he tries to, he'll be another Calvin Austin III. Maybe he can win that way out of the slot, but not as an outside option. If Wilson is limited to a slot role for his career, it lowers his ceiling. But, if he can figure out a way to make any transition to the outside as seamless as possible, then the Steelers might have yet again struck gold on a receiver in the middle stages of the draft.