Marvin Wilson was a man amongst boys on the football field during his college career. One of the few shining lights on a poor Florida State team, Wilson, 6’5 305 lbs, proved why he’s one of the best interior D-lineman in this draft.
Stats
2017: 7 Tackles, 0.5 TFLs
2018: 41 Tackles, 4.0 TFLs, 3.5 sacks, 1 pass deflection, 1 FF
2019: 44 Tackles, 8.5 TFLs, 5 sacks, 4 pass deflections, 1 blocked field goal, 1 FR, 1 FF
2020: 17 Tackles, 2 TFLs, 1 sack, 1 blocked punt
Strengths
Marvin Wilson genuinely might be the best run stopper in this class. He eats double teams and clogs gaps. On top of that, he still makes a ton of tackles from the 3 tech spot, even with all the double teams he sees. He’s explosive off the ball and uses great leverage to control the LOS. His high motor stands out in the run game. He makes an uncharacteristic number of backside tackles, which shouldn’t be possible for a guy his size. When he isn’t getting penetration in the backfield, he’s using his great block shedding to get himself in position to make a play. He’s pretty good against the pass, too. He constantly gets pressure on QBs, even if he doesn’t always get there for the sack. And when he doesn’t, he is elite at batting the balls down at the LOS.
Weakness
The big weakness of Wilson’s is his durability. After he played all 12 games his sophomore season, he only played nine his junior year, and six this past season. That will turn some teams away, but just look at what he did in nine games during 2019. If he stays healthy, he’s going to be the steal of the draft. He is also a raw pass rusher and could use a couple more moves in his arsenal. Consistency is also going to be key at the next level. Notre Dame negated him completely, while North Carolina didn’t seem to have an answer.
Scheme Fit: 4-3 3 Tech
He played a lot of 3-tech in college, but don’t rule him out of playing a 5 tech in a 3-4. I think he’d be a better fit inside so he can disrupt the run at an even higher rate.
Player Comparison: Haloti Ngata
Ngata is just an inch shorter than Wilson and has a 20 lb advantage. They play the game in a very similar way. Both can get to the QB but aren’t elite at it. Their goal is to stuff the run and they do that really well by clogging gaps and taking on double teams. They also both are great at knocking the ball down at the LOS.
Draft Prediction: Houston Texans (3/3)
Wilson will fall because of the injury and consistency concerns. The Texans need a run stopper as they ranked dead last in the league against it. They get a great player here that they can develop as they’re in no place to compete next year.
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