23 Days of Draftmas: Wyoming LB Logan Wilson

A very merry Draftmas to you! We continue our tradition of profiling an NFL Draft prospect every day in April, leading up to the NFL Draft on April 23rd. Every day, you’ll get a prospect profile that includes how they would fit with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Chiefs needed more from their linebackers in 2019, yet so far, haven’t made a move to improve the group for 2020. With many looking toward the early rounds of the draft for improvement at the second level, there may be a player in the middle rounds who would fit well in defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s defense.

Logan Wilson, linebacker

Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

6’2” | 241lbs | Wyoming

Casper, WY

Expected Draft Range: Day two

Combine: 4.63 40-yard dash, 32” vertical jump, 121” broad jump, 4.27 20-yd shuttle, 7.07 3-cone drill

2019 Stats: 105 tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 1 sack, 4 interceptions, 7 passes defended, 1 forced fumble

One-sentence bio: Former safety and wide receiver who was a first-team All-Mountain West and third-team AP All-American at linebacker in 2019.

One-sentence scouting report: Big linebacker with decent movement ability, strong zone-coverage skills and the ability to play the run between the tackles

One play:

How he fits in Kansas City: The Chiefs need some speed on the second level. Wilson provides just enough. In college, he was able to string along stretch runs, showing the ability to corral some faster players in the Mountain West conference. At the next level, he may not have true sideline-to-sideline range, but his ability to chase in the flat should be adequate — and he’s certainly faster than Kansas City’s current linebackers.

Where Wilson thrives is in his zone-coverage ability. He is rarely satisfied with a traditional spot drop in coverage; he finds the routes developing around him without sacrificing his responsibility. He reads the quarterback exceptionally well, putting himself in throwing lanes by utilizing his peripheral vision to see the route distributions. From his time as a safety and wide receiver, Wilson also has soft hands. He will haul in interceptions when he gets his hands on the ball.

What makes Wilson an ideal fit is his ability to stack and shed on the interior. Spagnuolo asks his WILL linebackers to cover interior gaps in the run game — which leads to bigger, slower linebackers in the base defense. Wilson has that capability, playing with plenty of pop to stand up climbing offensive linemen and close gaps in the run game.

Wilson is a little stiff, so he shouldn’t be tasked with covering dynamic running backs or tight ends in man coverage — and he struggles to open and carry vertical routes up the seam. However, as a hook or flat defender who can still play the interior run, Wilson is the type of player Spagnuolo would play as a three-down linebacker in Kansas City.

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