PHILADELPHIA – Johnny Wilson stepped into the NovaCare Complex Auditorium on Friday, looking like anything but a wide receiver.
At 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds, an NFL observer might see a flex tight end in Wilson or even a developmental edge rusher needing to put on a few pounds. Heck, the Eagles’ sixth-round pick out of Florida State could have even grabbed a rebound or two to help the Philadelphia 76ers avoid elimination in the NBA playoffs on Thursday night.
But an NFL wide receiver?
The Eagles believe so and emphasized that Wilson will start at WR despite other NFL teams scouting him to move inside because of his frame.
“I value the play strength, and so it doesn’t necessarily ever have to be about the actual size,” Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni said after Philadelphia selected Wilson in the sixth round of last month’s draft. “If they play strong, you love that, right, because it’s a game that requires strength. That doesn’t matter if you’re in the interior of the offensive line or out there playing wide receiver.
“Again, the strong guys can come in all shapes and sizes. So, we really value that in the wide receiver position. The quickness, the play strength, and he has that. For his size, he has good quickness. So, we’re really looking forward to working with him.”
A former receiver himself in college, Sirianni is well-versed on the technique needed to play the postion.
“I think he can run the full route tree,” GM Howie Roseman said of Wilson. “I think a lot of times you [move players] that when guys don’t have the lower body flexibility to get in and out of their breaks. We don’t see that with Johnny.”
Sirianni added: “All his production is coming on the outside, running outside routes. Really looking forward to working with him there at the wide receiver position.”
While others see an outlier, Wilson has gravitated to the bigger wideouts along with the more traditional ones he happens to like who have been successful in the league,
“My whole life I’ve always been the taller, taller guy, but I had a lot of dudes to try to model my game after and just through practice and repetition,” Wilson said before the Eagles’ first rookie camp practice on Friday. “Harold Carmichael, I love seeing his highlights and his film play. Alshon Jeffery was a dog here, DeSean Jackson, his separation at the second level was great. Other dudes in the league, Davante Adams and Mike Evans are two I tried to model my game after for the longest time.”
Carmichael, a former Eagles’ receiver in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was 6-8 and Evans, the long-time, Tamps Bay stalwart is 6-5.
“Being this size and being able to do some of the things I can do with my body and getting in and out of my breaks, and just having super long arms, it’s sometimes an advantage, especially to a lot of smaller corners and smaller defenders,” Wilson said. “I’ve just over the years tried to do a lot of training and using my body to my advantage.”
The Eagles don’t need Wilson to contribute immediately with star outside receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith in the prime of their careers. The ultimate goal is for Wilson to use his body to his advantage, however.
Enter Aaron Moorehead, the Eagles’ receivers coach who was once a lengthy WR himself during his playing days in Indianapolis at 6-3.
“He was a great receiver when he played and he’s definitely tall, too,” Wilson ais of his new mentor. “Since I’ve started building that relationship with him from when we first met when I came on my 30 visit and he was at my pro day, he was always trying to give me those tips – you’re a bigger guy so you can use this to your advantage. So having a guy with somewhat the same build as me, he’s definitely helped a lot, especially with the playbook and getting acclimated. He’s very open to helping all the young guys. He treats everyone the same. I like that.”
The Eagles like Wilson and often look for Day 3 bargains with a unique trait.
“He’s — what’s the word?” Roseman smiled at Sirianni
“He’s unusual. He’s unusual,” volleyed back the coach.
