The Giants have done a significant amount of due diligence and research into Michigan star quarterback J.J. McCarthy. Holding the 6th overall pick, many assume the Giants will have to move up a few spots to land consensus QB4 in the draft, but attending the Michigan Pro Day on Friday is about much more than scouting Mccarthy since there are a number of quality players the Giants could be intrigued by.
Big Blue sent assistant general manager Brandon Brown and quarterbacks coach Shane Tierney to Michigan’s Pro Day, where they will get a good look at receiver Roman Wilson, a 5-foot-11, 185-pound senior who is still only 22 years old.
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The Giants May Fall in Love With a Player Like Roman Wilson
Wilson finished this past season with 789 yards and 12 touchdowns, but Michigan’s run-heavy scheme limited him. Despite that, he was still a focal point in their offense, especially in the red zone. He averaged 16.4 yards per reception with a 71.6% reception rate and only one past the entire season. With phenomenal hands and great speed, Wilson could be a sneaky Day 2 draft pick for the Giants as they look to reinforce the receiver corps.
Wilson spent 68.7% of his snaps in the slot and 31.3% out wide, so his alignment is a bit versatile. According to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Wilson will eventually become a plus starter with a pro comp of Marvin Mims Jr. He has top gear that can blow the top off of defenses. With his tremendous hands, Wilson has all the tools to be a quality pass catcher at the next level.
After the catch, Wilson has special qualities, collecting 221 YAC yards and collecting 38 first downs. At the Senior Bowl, Wilson was uncoverable and put together a strong performance, suggesting he could be rising up the boards faster than anticipated. Given the depth of this receiver class, there’s a high probability that he will be there with a 47th overall pick, assuming the Giants don’t trade it away to move up for a quarterback.
On Friday, he’s only expected to partake in cone drills and position work, which should be more than enough for the Giants to get all the information they need to determine whether he’s worth targeting on Day 2.