Matt Harmon of Backyard Banter is an Albert Wilson fan which is pretty cool. Wilson is an undrafted player out of Georgia State so it’s easy to root for the underdog. Harmon, however, takes it to another level.
He is an admitted Albert Wilson truther.
Top 5 slant route SRVC scores:
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) June 30, 2016
Dez: 94.9%
Antonio: 87.7%
Albert Wilson: 87%
Keenan: 86.2%
Demaryius Thomas: 85.7%#ReceptionPerception
Harmon defines some of these things - Success Rate Vs. Coverage (SRVC) - at his website with a full article on what he likes about Albert Wilson.
Believe me, that list got the proper “one of these things doesn’t look like the other” response from Twitter. However, it’s quite impressive that Wilson finds himself in such company on the slant route. With the uptempo passing game becoming all the rage in the NFL these days, the slant is one of the highest run patterns (second highest rate among 2015 charted receivers at 20.5 percent). that strong burst at the breakpoints in routes extends to the deeper post variety, as his 69.6 percent SRVC is just above the NFL average.
Wilson doesn’t just have the burst that it takes to be a better than ordinary route-runner at the NFL level, he also mixes in the subtle nuances. He employs the head fakes, fluidity and false steps/jerks it takes to mix in proper deception in-route. Selling the defender he’s going one direction before snapping back the other way is a strength of Wilson’s game. His marks on slants and posts illustrate that, but his sterling 92.9 percent SRVC on out routes lends further credence.
So how will this affect him lining up on the inside more often this year? That’s a question I’ll be watching out for early on during training camp this year. Wilson was mostly on the outside last year so him on the inside could produce different results. If you’re hoping for a big leap in year three, a position switch could help make that happen.
Go check out that article, truthers.