Marquess Wilson And The NFL: New York Jets

Marquess’ first two seasons at Washington State were undeniable and he looked destined to be at least a high day 2 pick going into 2012. But his final season was one of ups and downs before walking away from his team with just 3 games remaining. The character questions are there and on top of that there is an inconsistency concern going into April’s NFL Draft.

In 2012 MQW only caught more than 5 passes in a game twice, against Oregon (12 for 182, 1 td) and Utah (9 for 100). Also, he only caught passes for more than 100 yards 3 times (adding a 110 yard, 2 td performance vs UNLV). In the early stages of the season, some of this was attributed to penalties calling back several big gains and at least 3 touchdowns if memory serves. But more often times it was a pure lack of concentration that kept Wilson from big numbers in games, as he dropped several passes that were destined for big yards.

Regardless, Marquess Wilson is a natural big play talent who could really excel in the NFL if put into the right situation with a coach, receiving mentor and quarterback who will teach him all about being a professional and work ethic at his position. We’re examining his chances, team by team on making the roster as is with no agenda towards who the team would take otherwise at the wide receiver position.

Dec. 23, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan on the sidelines against the San Diego Chargers during the second half at MetLife Stadium. Chargers won 27-17. Mandatory Credit: Debby Wong-USA TODAY Sports

New York Jets:

Stacked Against the Pick: 

The New York Jets are team that needs to upgrade a lot of positions due to depth and a lack of talent. The Jets have been pretty much been labeled by everyone as the laughing stock of the NFL, they’ll need to stop making unbelievably dumb moves to get away from that label.

Luckily, for them they do indeed have 7 draft picks and will hopefully be able to upgrade their roster barring any last minute trades. There are rumors going around that they may be trading Darrelle Revis to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, if true they will indeed get  a few more draft picks. This will help them big time in the draft but unfortunately they’d have to lose one of the best corners in the game.

Things are going rough for the Jets organization, but with a very solid draft they could certainly fix this team. As the Seattle Seahawks showed everyone you can find stars through the draft in the late rounds and even take some chances on a few free agents who might no be getting a lot of attention at that moment. That is exactly what the Seahawks did and other teams will attempt to model what they did. The only problem with this; are they patient enough to go that route? I don’t think they or their fans are due to their reputation of making ridiculous moves.

The Perfect Storm:

This could be the opportunity for Marquess Wilson that he needs, the Jets will be willing to look past his issues he had with Mike Leach and take the chance on him. The lack of talent on this team will allow him to start and make an immediate impact for the Jets. This will allow him to show everyone who passed him up what they truly missed out on and how great of a player he can be.

This would allow Rex Ryan to finally give Mark Sanchez (if he outplays David Garrard for the starting job) some options to throw to. Sanchez has had a lot of blame on him over the past few years but he might find his dream wide receiver in Marquess Wilson if he falls to them in the draft.

Being the exceptionally athlete that he is, he’ll be a steal to anybody who takes him in the later rounds. While the Jets have been known for their odd moves, they wouldn’t surprise anybody if they made a bold move and took him in the 4th or 5th round.

Likelihood Wilson Gets Drafted by the Jets:

Unlike the other teams in this league, the Jets are willing to overlook Wilson’s flaws and take him due to how good he can be in this league. It’s very likely that they take him in this draft because they need to help out Mark Sanchez anyway they can especially if Rex Ryan really wants to keep his job. This is definitely a team where he can come in right away and compete. But the question is, is he willing to have to work for it ? He clearly showed a lack of work ethic when he was getting out played by a Freshman in practice at times and even referred to himself as lazy.

A- (4th Round)