Steelers Rookie WR Roman Wilson Quickly Formed a Bond With WR Coach Zach Azzanni
Rookie wide receiver Roman Wilsin details how he formed a bond with his new positional coach just days after arriving in Pittsburgh.
While the Steelers re-worked their wide receiver room this offseason, not much “star” talent was brought into the room. The one guy that most people, inside of the organization and out, are most excited for is Michigan alum Roman Wilson.
Wilson was one of the Steelers third-round picks in the 2024 draft. Despite him winning a National Title at Michigan, the Wolverines ran their way to that title. Wilson posted good numbers in college but nothing that will make you look twice. Due to that, there is still a question mark about Wilson.
Despite the critics, Wilson is confident in himself and thinks that he could step into a top receiving role in the NFL.
“People say that I can’t be a number one receiver, and I feel like I definitely can be that guy. I feel like I’ve shown it, I’ve shown flashes of it, but with enough production, I feel like I can easily be that guy,” Wilson said on a podcast with former NFL wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. in April.
As Wilson tries to fulfill the high expectations that he set for himself, he is still a rookie that has to climb his way up to that point. That journey started at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex in May at the team’s rookie minicamp where he said he already felt like he was at home in Pittsburgh.
“It’s been really good, I love it out here,” Wilson told reporters at the team’s rookie minicamp in May. “It feels normal to me, it feels like home so its good. … Coach Tomlin, Coach [Arthur] Smith, Coach Z (Zach Azzanni) makes me feel like family, makes me feel comfortable, coach me really hard and I feel like I am getting better already.”
Upon Wilson’s arrival, wide receivers coach Zach Azzanni immediately started working with and forming a bond with the rookie. That bond has flourished and Wilson already has a mentor in the position room.
“Great guy, great coach,” Wilson said. “He gave me a lot of details, he helps me with my route details and understanding football. He is just a great guy, I really mess with him.”
The first thing that Azzanni had Wilson work on was staying low. With his quickness, the ability to stay low will allow Wilson to get in and out of breaks faster.
“Staying low,” Wilson said. “Right now I am playing a little high so just getting low. … For me, it’s about being low, honing in on those route details, the footwork. You know, pumping my arms out of breaks to create separation. It’s things like that.”
The team needs Wilson to improve and to be ready to contribute on day one because of their lack of solid depth at the position. The benefit that the team has is that Wilson can play inside or outside as he did it at Michigan. He spent 91% of his time in the slot as a junior in 2022 and 65.5% of his time in the slot last season, per Pro Football Focus.
While Wilson is just lining up where they tell him to, a more defined role should reveal itself once training camp starts. With that being said, Wilson is firmly the Steelers No. 2 wide receiver behind George Pickens. While a starting role is not just given, due to the lack of competition, Wilson looks like he will stay in that role for the foreseeable future.
10 • Roman Wilson, Wide Receiver, Michigan
5-foot-10, 200 pounds, 23 years old, 1st Season
Acquired: The Steelers drafted Roman Wilson with the 84th overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Last Season: Roman Wilson enjoyed his best season ever in 2023. As he helped the Wolverines win a National Championship, Wilson caught a career-high 48 passes for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns. Each of those led the team in 2023.
Wilson earned second-team All-Big 10 honors following the season.
College: Roman Wilson’s parent are natives of Michigan but Wilson grew up in Hawaii. He decided to go back to his parents home state to play his collegiate football. As a freshman, Wilson appeared in six games and totaled nine receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown.
In 2021, Wilson’s role expanded and he saw game time in 13 games. He hauled in 25 receptions for 420 yards and three scores. He had a very similar 2022 season when he caught 25 passes for 376 yards and four touchdowns.
In his colligate career, Wilson appeared in 45 games and started 23 of them. He tallied 107 receptions, 1,707 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns.
| Year | GP | Receptions | Rec Yards | Rec TDs |
| 2020 | 6 | 9 | 122 | 1 |
| 2021 | 13 | 25 | 420 | 3 |
| 2022 | 12 | 25 | 376 | 4 |
| 2023 | 15 | 48 | 789 | 12 |
Salary cap and future: Roman Wilson is entering the first season of his standard four-year rookie contract. He will cost $1.04 million against the team’s cap space in 2024. Wilson’s salary is $795,000 and his signing bonus is $249,576.
Wilson is set to become an unrestricted free agent following the 2027 season.
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