When a wide receiver is drafted in the top ten, you best believe there is a lot of weight for that guy to carry on his shoulders. For wide receivers drafted in the first round, there is still weight, but certainly a lot less. Then you got the day two picks, and while some have high expectations, others just fly completely under the radar.
That is exactly what happened to Michael Wilson in 2023, after he was selected by the Cardinals late in the third round out of Stanford. Coming in as a depth piece, no one could predict Wilson’s surge into one of the most underrated receivers in the game.
In his rookie season, Wilson tallied 38 catches for 565 yards, giving everyone a sneak preview of his efficiency. Wilson also managed to find the end zone three times, which was solid for a third-round rookie, but no one could anticipate what he would look like two years later, considering what his situation looked like.
Wilson in 2024 saw a decrease in receiving yards, but he was competing for targets against a top-five draft pick in Marvin Harrison Jr., and now the best tight end in football, Trey McBride, who logged over 1,000 yards that season.
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2025 was the turning point in Wilson’s career, and he got plenty of opportunities to showcase his abilities after Marvin Harrison Jr. missed five games with an injury.
Wilson eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in his career, and nearly half of them came in those five games when Harrison was inactive. He demonstrated his route running, as well as contested catch abilities.
Unfortunately for Wilson, his breakout season came when the Cardinals were at an all-time low, finishing 2025 with an abysmal three wins.
Wilson enters his contract year as arguably the league’s most underrated wide receiver. What will he have for an encore in 2026?
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