Rookie Profile: Cardinals Need Patience With Michael Wilson

An injury-plagued Michael Wilson is next on our breakdown of the Arizona Cardinals 2023 NFL Draft class and the raw talent here is very exciting.

The Arizona Cardinals found themselves some excellent values in the later parts of the 2023 NFL Draft and many believe Stanford wide receiver Michael Wilson fits that mantra.

Wilson, a former highly-recruited California prospect, slipped to the end of the third round where the Cardinals snatched him up with the 94th overall pick. Based on his size and athletic profile, it's easy to understand why many believe the Cardinals may've landed a steal.

When looking at Wilson it is important to remember that part of the reason he fell to the end of day two was because of the injuries he's battled the last three seasons. His lack of play time over the course of that timeframe has turned him into a very raw prospect.

Nonetheless, Wilson is an exciting talent and we will be diving into him in more depth today to get to know more about him as a prospect, what he brings to the Cardinals, and what his role may be in 2023.

Accomplishments

• Former four-star prospect and top-40 wide receiver (2018 class)
• Two-time All-PAC-12 honorable mention (2020, 2022)
• Several school awards including Al Masters (2021) and Jim Reynolds (2021, 2022)
• Voted team captain in 2022

2023 NFL Draft profile

• Five-year player at Power Five school and highly recruited high school player
• Suffered season-ending injuries in 2020 (foot) and 2022 (undisclosed) that limited him to 14 games in the last three seasons
• Size profile (6'2" 213lbs) and athleticism pro teams look for

What the tape shows

Wilson is a very raw prospect at the wide receiver position and it can mainly be attributed to his lack of playtime thanks to injuries. A foot injury in 2020 cost him the majority of both that season and the following year. An undisclosed injury in 2022 sniped half that year away, too.

All the missed time helps explain why Wilson looks incomplete even after spending five years in the collegiate ranks. Wilson has the size and athletic profile to be a starting wide receiver, but his route running needs refinement, as his 4.58 speed won't have him blowing past defensive backs. He is far from a bad route runner, but to get separation at the next level he will need to take the next step forward.

What does work nicely for Wilson is his attitude for excellence on the field. Wilson looks to create once the ball is in his hands and has the mentality of never being satisfied with what he has and always wanting more. For what it's worth, Wilson is also a willing blocker and shows some passion to become a gunner on special teams.

Projected role for 2023

If I haven't said it a million times before then let this be the 1,000,001 time I've said this... 2023 is not going to be a fun year for Cardinals football if you care about winning. If you care about figuring out what pieces will stick through a rebuild, then this is your year.

For Wilson, he will be auditioning for a role in 2024 and beyond. Because of that, there should be no scarcity of opportunities for Wilson even as a rookie.

With DeAndre Hopkins out of the picture, there is next to no clarity on who deserves the most amount of playing time as a starting wide receiver, so Wilson should compete for playing time there. 

We also know that having a can-do attitude as a special teams player goes a long way and there is belief that Wilson can contribute there as a gunner. There are truly limitless opportunities for Wilson to get onto the field.

Therefore, Wilson's "projected role" will be up to him. If Wilson wants to play 17 games, then he can as long as he stays healthy. What Wilson does in 2023 will be entirely up to what he's willing to put in. If he carries on his previous mentality from his Stanford days, I anticipate we may see a lot of Wilson in year one.

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