When you put on WR Roman Wilson’s film, you can see that his route running is a big positive. That gives him a good head start in acclimating to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. However, Wilson still sees it as a portion of his game that he’s working on refining.
“Just keep working on my route running,” Wilson said on Wednesday’s episode of the Steel Here Podcast with Kevin Adams and Jersey Jerry. “Keep working on tracking the ball, catching it well, getting in and out of my breaks. Kind of trying to emulate sitting in a zone, things like that. Really just my route running, because in the NFL, it’s a whole different league. I just wanna separate myself from people.”
When Jonathan Heitritter scouted Wilson for Steelers Depot, he used the term “nuanced” to describe Wilson’s route running. He showed the ability to set up defenders and use his 4.39 speed to suddenly create separation consistently in college. He even showed that at the Senior Bowl against top-level corners. His combination of speed and his technical approach to routes was a lethal combination in college.
However, Wilson realizes that the game is even more difficult at the pro level. He sees his route running as an area where he needs to improve in order to be a great receiver at the next level. If he can get even better, that’s only a good thing for the Steelers.
It could also help Wilson play all over the field. He is on the smaller side at under six feet tall and weighing in at the NFL Scouting Combine at 186 pounds. So it makes sense that he would be a good fit in the slot. He would face less press coverage there, which would allow him to get into his routes easier. There, he could use his 4.39 speed to run past defenders and create separation.
With his good route-running skills, Roman Wilson could also win on the outside as well. His size will be a problem against bigger corners in press coverage, though. That’s where working on his route-running skills even more can help. He knows that going against NFL corners will be a more difficult task than the majority of his opponents in college.
That’s why one of the biggest questions Steelers fans have is where will Wilson play. According to Wilson, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith intend to find out starting in rookie minicamp.
“I talked to both the receiver coach, Coach Z, and Coach Smith,” Wilson said. “They kind of see me playing both a little bit, I’m learning Z and F right now. They’re trying to figure out ways to give me the ball early on in rookie minicamp and see what I’ve got. I’m open to playing outside and inside. I love playing inside, I love playing outside, so I don’t really care too much.”
If Wilson proves capable of winning on the outside in the NFL, that’s going to be a fantastic thing for the Steelers. The only established receiver on the roster right now is George Pickens. If Wilson is strictly a slot receiver, the Steelers have a big need at outside wide receiver.
If Roman Wilson can be that answer, he might just be the next great third-round wide receiver by the Steelers.
You can watch the rest of Wilson’s interview on the Steel Here Podcast below:
