Arizona Cardinals select Michael Wilson in third round of 2023 NFL Draft

The last three seasons of Michael Wilson’s career at Stanford didn’t end ideally as they were each injury-riddled. Still, after five seasons with the Cardinals, he did enough to prove he can take his talents to the next level as the Arizona Cardinals has selected the fifth-year wide receiver out of Simi Valley, California in the third of the 2023 NFL Draft.

Wilson caught 134 passes over his collegiate career in the Pac-12. Those led to 1,662 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. However, after his breakout sophomore season, things went downhill a substantial amount thanks to the injuries.

In his second season, he caught 56 passes for 672 yards and five touchdowns in 11 games. After that, he appeared in just 14 games the next three years and caught only 64 passes and five touchdowns.

During high school, Wilson was a four-star wide receiver in the 2018 class per On3’s Industry Ranking. He was rated as a Top-30 prospect out of the state of California at Chaminade. Those rankings also had him listed as a Top-50 receiver and a Top-250 recruit overall.

Again, there’s a lot to like with what Wilson has been able to show when actually on the field. He was a team captain and was evaluated as a legitimate draft pick for a reason. With that said, he’ll have to prove he can stay healthy in Phoenix in order to carve out an actual future in the NFL.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Wilson

To Lance Zierlein, there are a lot of things he likes about Wilson’s game. He mentions intangibles like energy and effort along with other skills that give him some upside. Even so, besides some criticisms on route running and ball skills, he also listed health as the biggest key to what Wilson can be as a pro.

“Energetic wideout who plays the game with excellent urgency and effort. Wilson plays to his top speed at all times but he needs to become a more efficient route runner to beat NFL coverage. The ball skills are a little below average. But he’s a cantankerous run blocker and has the potential to become a very good gunner on special teams,” wrote Zierlein. “Staying healthy will be priority No. 1 for Wilson. But his versatility and competitive nature should give him a chance to become a plus NFL backup with upside.”