Roman Wilson drafted by Pittsburgh Steelers with No. 84 overall pick
Former Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson has been selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers with the 84th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. After four years in Ann Arbor, the speedy wide receiver will continue his football career professionally in Pittsburgh.
Originally from Hawai'i, Wilson committed to Michigan on July 2, 2019 as a three-star wide receiver.
As a freshman in 2020, Wilson hauled in nine passes for 122 yards and a score. His first career touchdown came in a 38-21 loss to Indiana in Bloomington.
Wilson increased his production considerably in 2021, totaling 378 yards and three touchdowns on 24 receptions. His sophomore season was highlighted by a breakout game against Wisconsin and a 75-yard touchdown reception from Donovan Edwards in the Big Ten Championship Game.
During his junior season in 2022, Wilson had breakout games against Hawai'i and TCU, but he struggled to consistently make an impact for the Wolverines. He had four touchdowns combined in the two aforementioned games, which accounted for 67 percent of his scores in 2022.
Wilson established himself as the lead receiver and quarterback J.J. McCarthy's favorite target in 2023, though. It didn't take any time for Wilson and McCarthy to get acquainted in the offense.
The 6-foot, 192-pound wide receiver had three receiving touchdowns in the season-opener against East Carolina, and he grabbed three more in the next two games for a total of six through three games.
Wilson came up big with critical touchdowns against Ohio State and Alabama. His touchdown against the Crimson Tide came with 1:34 left on the clock and sent the game to overtime.
The former Wolverine mentioned before the NFL Scouting Combine that he was hoping to run a sub-4.3 40-yard dash, but he came up about a tenth of a second short, posting a 4.39. Still, though, NFL scouts and analysts remain very intrigued by him.
"Wilson is among the best route-runners in the 2024 NFL draft class," Bleacher Report's Derrik Klassen wrote. "He uses his intense speed to put defensive backs on their back foot immediately and works from there."
"In addition to raw speed, Wilson has fantastic control, throttling up and down as necessary to toy with DBs. Wilson also shows quick, precise movement to most efficiently get through his route breaks, regularly creating a cushion of separation for himself."
"Wilson's drawbacks are mostly size-related. He may struggle to beat physical cornerback play on the outside, and he doesn't have the size or strength to be useful as a blocker in the run game. Both of those issues combine to make Wilson a pass-only player who may be limited to being aligned off the ball."
"Wilson also doesn't earn many tough yards with the ball. He can run and weave through space, but he doesn't have the power or vision to fight for extra yards underneath."
The former speedy Michigan wide receiver will now head to the AFC to play for head coach Mike Tomlin. He'll join Najee Harris, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields and George Pickens on the offensive side of the ball.
---
Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards
Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer
Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @Jerry_Diorio
Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify
Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube
Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram