The physical specimen out of Stanford University joins the undersized group of wideouts that the Arizona Cardinals have assembled.
Take one look at the Arizona Cardinals receiving corps and you can't help but notice the group's lack of size. DeAndre Hopkins isn't exactly small at 6 foot 1, 212 pounds, but the five-time Pro Bowler could very well be traded before the season-opener. Additional Cards wideouts like Marquise Brown (5 foot 9,170), Rondale Moore (5 foot 7,180) and Greg Dortch (5 foot 7,175) are much smaller than many others who also play the position.
Arizona's front office took a step toward addressing the issue during last week's NFL Draft. With the second of the club's two third-round picks, general manager Monti Ossenfort selected Stanford University pass-catcher Michael Wilson. Can the 6 foot 2, 210 pounder provide the physical presence that's currently missing from the Cardinals wide receivers room?
Wilson will be given every opportunity to settle into that role for the Redbirds passing attack. Brown, Moore and Dortch can use their speed to fly downfield with the best of them, but coming down with 50/50 balls is not their specialty. Wilson, on the other hand, will be counted on to do that and a whole lot more for the team that drafted him.
Arizona Cardinals have added size to their receivers room this offseason
In 36 collegiate appearances for the Cardinal, Wilson hauled in 134 passes for 1,662 yards and 11 touchdowns. Those numbers could've been much more impressive if the 94th-overall selection had not missed a significant amount of playing time due to injury. Problems with Wilson's foot cost him parts of his junior and senior seasons, and an undisclosed issue cut short a fifth campaign at Stanford for the youngster in 2022.
Arizona did acquire Zach Pascal, a 6 foot 2, 214 pounder, during the free-agent signing period. Like Wilson, the 28-year-old Pascal will also be counted on to outmuscle defensive backs for any passes thrown his way.
When it comes to contested balls, there's no one in pro football who's better at coming down with those than Hopkins. Of course, there's no guarantee that the superstar will be in a Cards uniform in 2023. Wilson will be, however, and the organization will be hoping for significant contributions from their newest wide receiver next fall.
(Statistics provided by College Football Reference)