Contextualization Of WR Roman Wilson’s 2023 Pass Targets At Michigan

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected WR Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft and now that several days have passed since that pick was made, I have had enough time to go through his 2023 targets at Michigan so that I can present a full contextualization of them for all to see.

As usual, this target contextualization includes tabled data in chronological order of the plays. The data includes things such as opponent, time of play, down and distance, air yards, yards after catch, yards gained, and much more. I also listed in this contextualization the location on the field where Wilson was targeted along with whether he was in motion prior to the snap of the football. Additionally, you will see where Wilson was lined up on the play, meaning either as a slot wide receiver or on the outside. A link to each play is also included in the tabled data so that you can watch whichever ones you choose.

As we get into breaking down this target contextualization of Wilson’s from the 2023 season, we can start by noting that he registered 48 receptions for 789 yards with 12 touchdowns, and that averages out to 16.4 yards per catch. Over 200 (221) of Wilson’s receiving yards in 2023 came after the catch. He was targeted 67 times in total in 2023, which resulted in a 71.6 percent catch rate. One other target play not included in this contextualization was a play wiped out by a penalty.

Digging deeper, Wilson had just one drop in 2023. He also had three contested catches on eight contested-catch opportunities, according to Pro Football Focus.

In totality, Wilson registered an average depth of target of 13.9 yards past the original line of scrimmage in 2023. His average depth of completion past the original line of scrimmage was an impressive 12.8 yards. As for his 12 touchdown receptions in 2023, Wilson registered an average depth of target of 18.6 yards past the line of scrimmage on those plays.

Digging even deeper into Wilson’s 2023 pass target contextualization, the data shows that nine of his 48 receptions came on plays that included him being in motion before the snap of the football. Those nine receptions on 11 targets resulted in 125 receiving yards and one touchdown.

Of Wilson’s 48 receptions in 2023, 10 of them came in the middle of the field between the hashmarks on 12 targets. He registered 187 receiving yards and four touchdowns on those 10 receptions. Wilson’s average depth of reception on those 10 catches in the middle of the fields was an impressive 17.0 yards past the original line of scrimmage.

Sixteen of Wilson’s 48 receptions in 2023 came outside the numbers on the field and that was part of 28 targets. Those 16 receptions outside the numbers were good for 275 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

Wilson’s average depth of completion on those 16 receptions outside the numbers was also impressive at 15.4 yards past the original line of scrimmage.

Wilson saw most of his 2023 receiving production come from out of the slot. In fact, 30 of his 48 receptions came out of the slot for 476 yards and nine touchdowns on 42 targets. His average depth of completion on those 30 receptions out of the slot in 2023 was 13.4 yards past the original line of scrimmage.

Wilson’s 2023 contextualized data, along with the tape, shows him to be quite the producer in the Wolverines’ passing game last season. He was obviously used in the slot quite a bit in the passing game in 2023. Additionally, you will see in the clips that he really never had to face press coverage much at all. He did, however, get a lot of separation on plays he was targeted in 2023.

If you watch all 67 of Wilson’s targets from the 2023 season and follow along with the contextualized data, you should get a good sense of how he was used and how he performed at Michigan. My next contextualization of Wilson will be from the 2021 season as he reportedly was used more on the outside. I will pass along that contextualization as soon as it is completed.

Special thanks to Pro Football Focus for some of the data used in this post.

2023 Roman Wilson Pass Targets Contextualized In Order