Icness wrote:His height is not as major of an issue as some will make it. It's a legit problem but he's not much shorter than Colt McCoy or Drew Brees. That is, provided he is legitmately 5'11", which is an open question.
The worry is that he wasn't very accurate at NCSU and suddenly became a 70% passer that threw a lot more TDs and a lot less INTs. Such a dramatic improvement brings up questions. Stuff like, how much was a function of being in a different offense? What mechanically changed for him? What was the level of competition? He gets a pass on the transfer issue because he graduated and sought an opportunity elsewhere that NCSU wasn't going to give him. Their mistake.
Pat White was a legit 6'0". He was also a much more productive runner and had fairly consistent passing numbers throughout his career, and he won some big games. His biggest problem at Miami was he couldn't nail the deeper throws and couldn't learn to stand in the pocket and deliver the ball under duress.
That last one is my main criticism of Wilson--he's always moving around and never looks comfortable. He has some mechanical issues that could be cleaned up (most baseball players-as-QBs do, White among them) but I'm more concerned with his ability to take a snap and deliver a strike from a set position. NFL passing offenses are so much more based on precise angles and timing of routes and he has to show he can hit those without dancing around and changing the dynamics. He'll be grilled on that on the postseason workout tour. I've heard he is likely going to the Senior Bowl, which will be great for him and a real chance to improve his stock.
FWIW I like WIlson better than Landry Jones or Nick Foles, both of whom are horribly overrated IMO.
I never really thought about that when watching Wilson this year at Wisconsin, but now that you bring it up, he is to quick sometimes to abandon the pocket whenever he senses any bit of pressure. Not so much to run all the time, more often to buy time to throw. That said, i could see why that would bother NFL offensive coordinators if Wilson continued doing the same thing in the pros. I know that using Aaron Rodgers as a comparison is unfair to any college QB given Rodgers is a likely HOF quarterback, but for as much as he is praised for his ability to make plays outside of the pocket, Aaron generally only abandons the pocket when he has no other option.
The other thing you brought up about his huge increase in efficiency from NCS to Wisconsin has some merit to it i think. While i thought Wilson was fabulous overall at running our offense this year, especially considering that he had to learn it on the fly, the scheme, offensive line, and great running game did make a near ideal situation for Wilson. Opposing defenses had no choice but to usually play run first because the Badgers running game is so productive and the line has multiple NFL prospects. This often lead to situations where Russell had time to throw against secondaries with a safety in the box and linebackers/safeties who would bite on play action for good reason. Thus, there weren't a bunch of situations where Wilson had to thread passes into tight windows of coverage.
In his defense though, Wilson had a stronger arm than i expected. He was more accurate on throws downfield than i expected. He seems like a very bright guy and the more i watch the NFL, the more i realize just how important smarts and football instincts are for quarterbacks to succeed so long as they also have the needed physical abilities. He understands that just because he's gifted with the feet to run the ball, it's generally the smarter option to throw the ball once he gets outside of the pocket and the secondary is scrambling. His character is impeccable. He seems humble and very receptive to coaching.
I'd love to see what a great quarterback teacher like McCarthy could do with Wilson over a couple years time frame since he IMO has enough arm strength, great agility, smarts, and a willingness to accept coaching that McCarthy would have an intriguing overall skillset to work with and the Packers will need a young quarterback to groom as Rodgers backup over the next 3-4 years.