Dynasty Prospect Scouting Report: Garrett Wilson
Garrett Wilson, WR, Ohio State
Height: 6’0
Weight: 183
Age: 21.6
Combine Results:
40-yard dash: 4.38 seconds (90th percentile)
Vertical: 36” (57th)
Broad: 10’3” (66th)
3-cone: DNP
Short shuttle: 4.36 seconds (20th)
College career:
Wilson was a 3-sport athlete (football, basketball, track) at Lake Travis High School in Texas, garnering scholarship offers for both basketball and football. He averaged 108 receiving yards and 1.7 TDs per game over his final 2 seasons and was named 2017-18 Central Texas High School Athlete of the Year.
Wilson was tabbed a 5-star recruit and a top 30 player nationally by most scouting services. He received over 30 offers, opting to sign with Ohio State over other blue-blood programs like Alabama, Georgia, Notre Dame and Michigan.
Wilson appeared in all 14 games as a true freshman, finishing 4th on the Buckeyes in catches, receiving yards and receiving scores behind redshirt senior K.J. Hill, sophomore Chris Olave and senior Binjimen Victor. WR Jameson Williams was also a freshman on that 2019 Ohio State squad, finishing with just 6 catches for 112 yards and a score.
Wilson’s per-game production spiked in a COVID-shortened 2020 campaign. He averaged 5.4 catches, 90.4 yards and .75 TDs across 8 games – all 2nd to Olave. Wilson’s market shares: 27.2% of the receptions, 34.4% of the receiving yards and 27.3% of the receiving scores.
His 3.04 yards per route run as a sophomore ranked 18th among 146 WRs with 50+ targets. Wilson finished 17th in PFF receiving grades. (Olave ranked 9th in yards per route and 12th in receiving grade.)
Wilson ran 73.1% of his routes from the slot in 2020. He averaged 3.20 yards per route from the slot vs. 2.59 from the outside.
Wilson again ranked 2nd on the Buckeyes in all major receiving categories this past year. Olave led the way with 13 TDs – but it was sophomore Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who’s widely expected to be a 1st-round pick next year, leading with 95 catches and 1,606 receiving yards.
Wilson missed 2 games: Nebraska with a concussion and the Rose Bowl to start prepping for the NFL. In his 11 games, he accounted for 25.4% of the team’s receptions, 26.6% of the receiving yards and 31.6% of the receiving TDs. Those aren’t elite market shares, but keep in mind that Wilson was competing with 2 future 1st-round WRs.
Wilson ranked 24th among 200 qualifying WRs in PFF receiving grade and 17th in yards per route run – both behind Smith-Njigba but ahead of Olave.
Wilson kicked outside last season, running just 17.8% of his routes from the slot. He remained more effective from the inside, though, averaging a huge 4.87 yards per route vs. 2.6 from outside the numbers.
Film study:
Courtesy of FF Astronauts
Games watched - Indiana (2020), Minnesota, Oregon, Penn State, Michigan State
Wilson is a nightmare to deal with in space. He combines speed, quicks and shiftiness to create big separation at all levels of the field.
I was especially impressed by this route. The defender has inside leverage, looking to take away the middle of the field. But Wilson is able to get him to bite on an outside fake, work through some contact and earn a few steps of separation over the middle.
Wilson is also a weapon after the catch. He has the burst to beat angles and the slipperiness to evade defenders.
Wilson doesn’t have a huge catch radius, but he’s comfortable making adjustments to snag both high and low throws.
The only real concern with Wilson’s game is play strength. At just 183 pounds, he can get tangled up in physical coverage and struggles to come down with balls in traffic (especially over the middle of the field).
Fantasy potential:
Wilson should have no problem getting open against NFL CBs. He’s a strong route runner and tested as an above-average athlete at the Combine. His after-catch skills should also translate to the next level.
Size and strength is the only slight worry here. Both can be improved with some work in the weight room, of course, although he’ll also be facing bigger, stronger CBs in the NFL.
Perhaps that means Wilson settles in as a primary slot receiver as a pro. Maybe it keeps him from emerging as a target hog. But I don’t expect it to prevent him from being an asset for his NFL team and fantasy teams.
Wilson’s fantasy ceiling probably doesn’t climb as high as Drake London or Treylon Burks’. But I also think he has less bust potential than those 2 because of his route-running skills.