Hats off to Albert Wilson.
From his roots as an undrafted free agent from Georgia State to his role as a starting wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs, Wilson has taken to coaching, proven himself time and again and overcome significant odds against him to claim his current spot on the depth chart. The question is: will he stay in that spot?
Wilson showcased glimmers of promise in 2014, and last year he was rewarded with a chance to start for the Chiefs. Wilson started 12 regular season games as well as both playoff games, and finished with 35 receptions for 451 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. He added 7 catches for 66 yards and another touchdown against the Texans and Patriots in the postseason.
Despite Wilson's ascendance up the ladder, it's easy to point to the position of No. 2 wide receiver as a possible place for Dorsey to invest. When Jeremy Maclin was injured, the Chiefs clearly lacked another target to keep defenses honest. Jamaal Charles' return will help, and Travis Kelce will only get better. But do the Chiefs need a receiving upgrade?
Some of that could come in the form of competition between Wilson and Chris Conley, last year's third round choice. Conley's rookie year numbers largely resemble Wilson's first year with only 17 catches for 199 yards and 1 touchdown. That said, he's got great speed for the pro game and a high intelligence to potentially break through faster than others.
But hear what John Dorsey had to say about Albert Wilson at the NFL Combine on Thursday when asked about Wilson.
"I think any time you can take a college free agent and he can develop into that number two receiver, which he kind of did last year, that's a tribute to Albert and his development," said Dorsey. "With that development, I can see him getting better. He wants to get himself better, and I'm very happy with where he is at this stage of football. He did very well in the '15 season, now we're moving on to the '16 season and it's time to develop even more now."
Clearly Dorsey believes the best is yet to come from Wilson, and given the former investment in Conley, it's easy to wonder if Dorsey feels like he's done at the position. Will the Chiefs pass on a draft investment at wideout?
Before Thursday I would have said, "No," assuming there was a player worthy of being taken in the first few rounds. Now? I'm not so sure.