Former Gators CB Marco Wilson Sees Opportunity With Cardinals
Marco Wilson is confident in his abilities, so much so that despite a major injury in his sophomore year with the Florida Gators and unfortunate regression to follow over two seasons, he believes he might end up being a steal from the 2021 NFL Draft.
“I’m super excited about coming to Arizona," Wilson said after being selected by the Cardinals in the fourth round on Saturday. "I feel like I should have been taken earlier in this draft but, I have no control over that. I’m excited and happy that Arizona chose me and I’m ready to get to work.”
Wilson tore the ACL of his left knee weeks into the 2018 season, ending his sophomore campaign after he became the fourth cornerback in UF history to start week one as a true freshman a year earlier. He had torn his right ACL in high school as well.
Whether it was due to his injuries or another reason, Wilson didn't play to the same level as he did during his freshmen campaign, a year in which he was named to the Coaches All-SEC Freshmen Team. Over the past two years, Wilson gave up a completion percentage in coverage of 69.2% on 104 targets, compared to 42.5% on 40 targets in 2017. He was also penalized eight times from 2019-20 and not once as a freshman.
Yet, the Cardinals took a chance on Wilson after his stellar pro day performance in March. Although injuries - and of course, Wilson's shoe-throwing incident against LSU in December 2020 - may have slipped Wilson further down the board than he would have liked to have been selected, Arizona saw a reason to believe in Wilson given his athletic profile.
“I feel like my experience playing this position and the league that I played in, the SEC, I just feel that it built me to be able to play in the NFL. Also, I feel like my athletic ability is better than anybody in this class, but only time will tell that and show that.”
At Florida's pro day, Wilson posted elite results in nearly every category. In fact, only one of his nine test results rank outside of the top 30 percent of NFL cornerbacks dating back to 1999.
Athleticism is only part of football, of course, but teams will take a gamble on prospects with a profile such as Wilson's with hopes of coaching that player into a well-rounded professional. He's certainly flashed the talent before, having compiled 99 tackles, three interceptions, and 17 defended passes at UF while playing both outside and slot cornerback.
The Cardinals entered the 2020 offseason with a tremendous need at the cornerback position and Patrick Peterson's free agency departure only made the need more drastic, meaning that Wilson's athleticism and experience playing at the highest level of college football could be utilized sooner rather than later.
“I know that [Arizona is] in need of cornerbacks," Wilson said. "I know there’s a lot of guys who are there already that are very talented and older guys who have a lot of experience. I feel like I can come in and make an impact while learning a lot from those guys who are already there.”
