Contextualization Of WR Roman Wilson’s 2020 Pass Targets At Michigan

It’s now been just a little more than a month since the Pittsburgh Steelers selected WR Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft out of Michigan. Since then, I have fully contextualized Wilson’s pass targets from his last three seasons and within those posts I have added stat breakdowns to paint a full picture of them. Today, I will provide a contextualization of Wilson’s targets from his 2020 season, his first at Michigan.

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 at the snap of the football. Additionally, you will see where Wilson 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 break down this target contextualization of Wilson’s from the 2020 season, we start by noting that he registered nine receptions for 122 yards with one touchdown, which averages 13.6 yards a catch. Nineteen of Wilson’s 122 receiving yards in 2020 came after the catch, good for just a 2.1-yard average. He was targeted just 14 times in 2020, which resulted in a 64.3 percent catch rate.

Digging deeper, Wilson had just two drops in 2020. He also had one contested catch on just one contested-catch opportunity, according to Pro Football Focus.

In totality, Wilson registered an average depth of target of 14.8 yards past the line of scrimmage in 2020. His average depth of completion past the line of scrimmage was 11.8 yards. As for Wilson’s one touchdown reception in 2020, it registered a depth of target of 16 yards past the line of scrimmage.

Digging even deeper into Wilson’s 2020 pass target contextualization, the data shows that just one of his nine receptions came on plays that included him being in motion at the snap of the football. That one reception on that lone target resulted in 4 receiving yards, and it was caught behind the line of scrimmage.

Of Roman Wilson’s nine receptions in 2020, five of them came in the middle of the field between the hash marks on seven total targets. He registered 59 receiving yards and no touchdowns on those five receptions. Wilson’s average depth of reception on those five catches in the middle of the field was 8.0 yards past the line of scrimmage.

Just two of Wilson’s nine receptions in 2020 came outside the numbers on the field, and that was part of three targets. Those two receptions outside the numbers were good for 37 receiving yards. Wilson’s average depth of completion on those two receptions outside the numbers was 18.5 yards past the line of scrimmage.

The data shows that Roman Wilson saw most of his 2020 receiving production come as a wide receiver lined up on the outside, but only by a little bit. In fact, six of Wilson’s nine receptions in 2020 came with him lined up outside. Those catches resulted in 71 yards and a touchdown on eight total targets. His average depth of completion on those six receptions while lined up outside in 2020 was 10.8 yards past the line of scrimmage.

As you would expect for a freshman, Roman Wilson’s 2020 contextualized data, along with the tape, shows him to be a low-level producer in the Wolverines’ passing game that season, as he finished fourth on the team in total receiving yards and tied for sixth in total receptions. Michigan only played six games that season, however. He was used both as an outside and slot wide receiver during the 2020 season.

If you watch all 19 of Wilson’s targets from the 2020 season and follow along with the contextualized data, you should get a good sense of how he was used that particular year and how he performed at Michigan.

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

2020 Roman Wilson Pass Targets Contextualized In Order