Roman Wilson’s Impact Could be Instantaneous with Steelers

In the short term, Pittsburgh Steelers rookie wide receiver Roman Wilson is one of the most important players from this draft class. Wilson is a speedy dot on the football field, and he is a fantastic middle-of-the-field route runner who wins on overs and crossers throughout his tape at Michigan. But how soon can Wilson’s impact be felt on the football field? Pro Football FOcus sees it as something that could happen soon.

“The Steelers got terrific value by picking Wilson 84th overall, a full 42 slots below his PFF big board ranking,” analyst Bradley Locker writes. “Wilson’s surehandedness makes him particularly appealing: his two percent drop rate tied for 11th-lowest among FBS receivers with 65 or more targets. He’s also a tenacious blocker in the run game.

When the Steelers drafted Roman Wilson, he earned all sorts of comparisons. He compared himself to one of Russell Wilson’s top targets, Tyler Lockett. But the comparison that Tony Pauline heard the Steelers view Wilson through is much more ambitious. According to Pauline, Wilson is viewed through a ‘Hines Ward lens’ within the Steelers organization as a tough player who wins between the numbers.

In January, Wilson got a challenge from Tomlin before a sunny Wednesday practice at the Senior Bowl . Tomlin pulled Wilson and Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell aside, two of the most dominant players from day one of the Senior Bowl, and told them to go against each other throughout practice. They did just that, creating a highlight reel play for Wilson.

Wilson is somewhat undersized, checking in at 5-foot-10 3/4 and 185 pounds, but showed excellent athleticism in pre-draft testing. He ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash, a 4.07-second shuttle and 6.89-second three-cone drill at the 2024 NFL Combine, resulting in an 8.59 RAS out of 10.