If you drew up the perfect edge rusher in a lab, he might look like Texas Tech’s Tyree Wilson — huge frame, great power and a quick first step to go along with a great motor. But, obviously, football isn’t played on paper — with Wilson the questions revolve more about where his fit will be at the next level.
Does he need to add some weight and move inside on passing downs? Or is there an elite edge rusher in there somewhere that hasn’t entirely been tapped into yet (just 7 sacks per season the last two years)?
While many people would put a huge gap between Will Anderson Jr. and Wilson, I actually think it might be a bit overblown to say there’s a massive drop-off. The two are totally different types of edge rushers, and so it might be more of a question about what someone is looking for at the position.
Height: 6’6″
Weight: 271 pounds
40-yard-dash: NA
Bench Press: NA
Vertical jump: NA
Broad jump: NA
College stats: 121 tackles, 17 sacks, 32 TFL, 1 fumble forced
When you watch Wilson, the first thing you notice is that his ridiculous size jumps off the screen. While Anderson has some size concerns, Wilson doesn’t — no matter how big the tackle opposite of him, Wilson’s powerful hands tend to get their way once they’re locked into position. The question is: why so little production in a weaker conference for linemen (Big 12)?
Seven sacks aren’t anything to scoff at, but if we’re talking about a future star edge rusher you’d like to see some more. Then again, he did have the fourth-best pressure rate (according to ESPN) last season, so maybe that’s a better indicator of what he’s going to provide at the next level. The ceiling here is really high — a guy who could play outside on early downs and then be an impact pass-rusher from the inside on obvious passing downs as well, while the floor might be a really solid (but not spectacular) edge who puts up sack numbers in the high single-digits while offering solid support in the run game.
VERDICT: PICK
Initially, Wilson was just outside of my list of guys I wanted to dive into here, but when I kept seeing his name pop up high on lists I felt like I needed to engage a bit — and I’m glad I did. He needs some development and a coordinator who has a clear vision for how (and where) he can be most successful at the next level, but if he gets that he might end up being the best edge in this class. At the very least you’re going to get a really productive guy who won’t be classified as a bust in any sense of the word, but I’d bet on a positive outcome for Wilson, and I’d love for it to be in silver and black.
