Contextualization Of WR Roman Wilson’s 2022 Pass Targets At Michigan

On the heels of the Pittsburgh Steelers selecting WR Roman Wilson in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, I have fully contextualized his 2023 and 2021 targets at Michigan for various reasons. The 2021 contextualization was done second because Wilson lined up more on the outside that season. With those two seasons completed, today, I wanted to present a full target contextualization of Wilson’s 2022 season at Michigan, in which he mostly lined up in the slot on his targets.

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 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 break down this target contextualization of Wilson’s from the 2022 season, we can start by noting that he registered 25 receptions for 376 yards with four touchdowns, which averages 15.0 yards per catch. 190 of Wilson’s 376 total receiving yards in 2022 came after the catch, good for a solid 7.6-yard average. He was targeted 37 times in total in 2022, which resulted in a 67.6 percent catch rate. It should be noted that penalties wiped out four other targets that Wilson had during the 2022 season, and those were not contextualized for this post.

Digging deeper, Wilson had just two drops in 2022. He also had three contested catches on four contested catch opportunities, according to Pro Football Focus.

In totality, Wilson registered an average depth of target of 13.5 yards past the original line of scrimmage in 2022. His average depth of completion past the original line of scrimmage was just 7.6 yards. As for Wilson’s four touchdown receptions in 2022, he registered an average depth of target of 16 yards past the line of scrimmage on those plays.

Digging even deeper into Wilson’s 2022 pass target contextualization, the data shows that just two of his 25 receptions came on plays that included him being in motion at the snap of the football. Those two receptions on three targets resulted in 14 receiving yards, and one was caught behind the original line of scrimmage.

Of Roman Wilson’s 25 receptions in 2022, five of them came in the middle of the field between the hash marks on seven total targets. He registered 65 receiving yards and one touchdown on those five receptions. Wilson’s average depth of reception on those five catches in the middle of the field was 11.0 yards past the original line of scrimmage.

Just five of Wilson’s 25 receptions in 2022 came outside the numbers on the field, and that was part of 12 targets. Those five receptions outside the numbers were good for 51 receiving yards and one touchdown. Wilson’s average depth of completion on those five receptions outside the numbers was 10.2 yards past the original line of scrimmage.

The data shows that Roman Wilson saw most of his 2022 receiving production come as a wide receiver lined up in the slot. In fact, 23 of Wilson’s 25 receptions in 2022 came with him lined up in the slot, and those catches resulted in 374 yards and four touchdowns on 34 total targets. His average depth of completion on those 23 receptions while lined up in the slot in 2022 was 8.7 yards past the original line of scrimmage.

Roman Wilson’s 2022 contextualized data, along with the tape, shows him to be a moderate producer in the Wolverines’ passing game in 2022, as he finished fourth on the team in total receptions and receiving yards that season. He was obviously used quite a bit as a slot wide receiver in the passing game in 2022, just as he ultimately was during the 2023 season. Additionally, and just as was the case in 2023, you will see in the clips that Wilson wasn’t asked to face a lot of press coverage in 2022.

If you watch all 37 of Wilson’s targets from the 2022 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.

2022 Roman Wilson Pass Targets Contextualized In Order