Eagles film: Sixth-round draft pick Johnny Wilson is big. Can he become the third wide receiver?

Just as the Eagles opened OTAs, free-agent signee DeVante Parker elected to retire after nine NFL seasons with the Miami Dolphins and New England Patriots. For a wide receiver unit that lost Julio Jones, Quez Watkins, and Olamide Zaccheaus this offseason, the third wideout role remains a mystery, though there is no shortage of options.

Parris Campbell will likely factor into that role, after signing a one-year contract on March 21. But the Eagles also infused youth by selecting former Texas A&M wide receiver Ainias Smith, an explosive but undersized player (5-foot-9, 190 pounds), in the fifth round of the NFL draft. In the sixth round, the Eagles added Johnny Wilson, who’s a completely different body type at 6-6, 231.

Wilson’s addition is particularly intriguing. While sixth-rounders don’t usually become instant contributors, especially in a group with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, there’s plenty of reason to be bullish that Wilson can compete for the third wideout spot with his size and skill set.

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Over the last two seasons, the majority of Wilson’s snaps came as an outside receiver at Florida State. Just 92 of his 991 snaps since 2022 were from the slot, according to Pro Football Focus, which makes sense considering his size advantage when lining up against defensive backs.

Taller receivers usually have a harder time with route running because it takes longer for them to shift their weight at the top of routes. For Wilson, though, that area of his game shines; he uses subtle head fakes and controlled body movements to create separation against corners and safeties. For curls, comebacks, and slants, Wilson does a nice job of sinking his hips and working back to the football, often finishing the catch away from his body to prevent defensive backs from knocking the football away.

While Wilson won’t likely be a premier route runner in the NFL, his ability to create subtle separation is more than enough for a player of his size who towers over corners. His work against press coverage is limited, but beating it consistently will likely be his biggest challenge in the NFL, especially with his chest potentially being exposed by his towering frame.

His average depth of target was 15.8 yards in 2022, and 13.8 yards in 2023, according to PFF, both well past the first-down line.

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Whether it’s passes that are high or behind him, Wilson has the arm length and wingspan to make catches beyond his frame. Boasting a 99th percentile wingspan at 84½ inches, according to Mockdraftable, the former Florida State standout often used it to his advantage, especially on throws over the middle and along the sideline when he was lined up in the boundary of the field.

Wilson can contort his body in the air to make difficult catches with defensive backs draped all over him. He converted 40.9% of his contested catches (9 of 22) in 2023, which was a bit under what he did in 2022, when he converted 52.2% of those attempts, according to PFF. There’s a reasonable body of work to suggest that type of production can be replicated at the NFL level. His natural extension in these situations, coupled with his 10-inch hands, allows him to pluck the football out of the air with ease.

His drop rate was 10.9% in his final season of college and he finished with just five drops total against 41 receptions, with four of those drops coming in two games. Still, the drops need to be cleaned up, as he totaled 11 drops over the last two seasons, several of them coming while he was wide-open.

Wilson showed he has above-average speed by running a 4.52-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, but it’s more buildup speed rather than natural explosiveness, which is why he won’t be a natural deep target. Where it could prove most valuable, though, is attacking the middle of the defense, particularly up the seam and hashes to create chunk yardage gains through the heart of the defense.

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A few times in college, Wilson showed the ability to stack defensive backs while aligned as an outside receiver, putting them on his back while he tracked the football on deep throws. He had just four receptions of 20 yards or more in 2023, but two of them came over the middle of the field, according to PFF, for 85 yards. Even if he doesn’t fully beat a defensive back down the field, his size and catch radius allow Wilson to box out defenders and make over-the-shoulder catches well beyond a defender’s reach.

The Eagles and Wilson have indicated they are committed to his staying at wide receiver rather than making a move to tight end. However, moving him around the formation and giving him some reps as a slot receiver, much like the Eagles use Dallas Goedert in the passing game, could be a way for Wilson to get on the field early, particularly in red-zone situations. Wilson will have plenty of opportunities to prove how valuable he can be in Kellen Moore’s offense this summer.