DALLAS – The 2018 draft features as much depth at wide receiver as running back. Courtland Sutton out of Southern Methodist and Calvin Ridley out of Alabama dominate the draft talk and headlines. However, there are other receivers who merit discussion. One of the late projections, Cedrick Wilson might steadily rise up all of the scouts draft boards.
Although he may not come across as a physical brute, he makes spectacular catches in double coverage and on the sidelines. There are teams like the Cleveland Browns that need depth at receiver. Any team looking to draft multiple receivers should probably select Wilson to compete to start.
Why would a late round projection have any chance to start? After assessing the game film and other research, there may be an obvious reason for the late round projection. Wilson might not be big enough to start.
He is 6-2, 188 pounds. Can Wilson take NFL hits? Ideally, he should be closer to 210 pounds so he will need to bulk up before the NFL Draft.
Eli Nachmany, an NFL Draft writer, raised questions regarding his receiving mechanics. Wilson tends to make too many one-handed catches and occasionally doesn’t catch passes properly. He needs to work on extending his hands to make catches. There are also questions regarding his route running.
Wilson has the height and speed to beat most NFL defenders deep. It is easy to see that after evaluating the game film.
He also set the school record for most receiving yards in 2017 with 1,511 receiving . Thomas Sperbeck previously held the record with 1,412 yards. It will be interesting to see if Wilson can be equally as effective in the NFL. He is capable of averaging 15-20 yards on every reception. Wilson has an abundance of raw talent and speed.
The issue is he is not as polished as the other receivers in the draft. however, if he works on his route running and adds muscle, he can quickly become a second or third round projection.