Previously: Last year's profiles. S Makari Paige, S RJ Moten, S Jordan Morant, CB Andre Seldon, CB Darion Green-Warren, CB Eamonn Dennis, VP William "Apache" Mohan, LB Nikhai Hill-Green, LB Kalel Mullings, LB Cornell Wheeler, LB Osman Savage, DE Aaron Lewis, DE Jaylen Harrell, DE Braiden McGregor, DT Kris Jenkins, OL Reece Atteberry, OL Zak Zinter, OL Jeffrey Persi, TE Matthew Hibner.

Honolulu, HI – 6'0", 175
		24/7	4*, #218 overall #37 WR, #3 HI
		Rivals	3*, 5.7 rating #75 WR, #5 HI
		ESPN	4*, 80 rating #54 WR, #3 HI
		Composite	4*, #352 overall #60 WR, #3 HI
		Other Suitors	UO, UCLA, ASU, Cal
		YMRMFSPA	Steve Breaston
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post from yrs truly.
Notes	Twitter. Early enrollee.
Film
Junior Year:

Roman Wilson's appeal as a recruit is simple.

BLESSED Honored to be named opening’s highest rated athlete... and the FASTEST MAN 4.3⚡️@TheOpening pic.twitter.com/VQJb1jsYxl

— Roman Wilson (@Trilllroman) May 12, 2019

He attended an Opening regional last May, whereupon he put up a 4.37 40, a 3.96 shuttle, and a 39-inch vertical. This was not a fluke: he was the Hawaii state champion in the 100 meter dash with a 10.6—reputedly on a wet track—and helped set the state-meet record in the 4x100 relay. Sam Webb reported that he put up a 4.43 after a three-month COVID-induced layoff. He's fast as hell.

Since he also measured in at 6'0", 175—not super-smurf territory—the question is "why isn't this guy ranked higher?" I don't know. Nobody bothered to critique Wilson aside from generic "needs to be in a weight program" stuff. I can speculate that a guy who runs a 4.3 at an Opening regional and doesn't get invited to the show must have some some work to do.

[After THE JUMP: an attempt to answer the question]

His high school production also suggests the same: 30 catches as a junior isn't a ton of production when you are the Roadrunner and your quarterback is a P5 prospect who eventually signed with Washington State. Wilson's location isn't much of a factor since he played for the biggest and most heavily-scouted program in Hawaii—in addition to the kid going to WSU there are teammates headed to Wisconsin, Notre Dame, Cal, UCLA, and Utah this year.

24/7 didn't just rely on the stopwatch when they named him the ALPHA DOG of that camp… but they did rely on the stopwatch quite a bit:

…our overall top performer for not only how he performed in the drills and one on ones but more so how he tested. … We liked Wilson in the position drills and one on ones as well where he routinely used his speed to get behind a corner and caught the ball very consistently. … fluid and explosive in his route running.

Other camp reports are in a similar vein—lookit that guy run, also other stuff. From a 7-on-7 his school participated in:

… one of the fastest players in the entire tournament, exploding after the catch, turning short receptions into big gains. He was de Laura’s go-to guy and the chemistry was evident between the two high school teammates.

A spring summary:

…consistently been a star this spring … one of the fastest athletes in America… continues to be one of the most consistently productive pass catchers in camp settings as well.

There is another vein of reports, usually from 7-on-7, that emphasize he's not just fast. Call it the Inverse Fred Jackson: "more than just fast, he can turn defenders around as a route runner and made a number of tough catches"; "not only a burner … also a technical pass-catcher that made a number of impressive snags … does well to separate from cornerbacks and makes things happen in traffic."

This made it to 24/7s profile scout, which emphasizes the Inverse Fred Jackson:

Electric playmaker with lightning in his cleats. Elite quickness and speed to stretch the defense. Changes directions remarkably well and can make defenders miss in space. Knack for getting open underneath on short routes and threat to score from anywhere. Improved technical ability and route running skills, with savvy to wiggle his way through traffic. Very good hands, but could be more reliable.

Another encouraging sign is that Wilson is improving rapidly. Brandon Huffman went through the usual "explosive, dynamic" bits before noting that he "[gets] better at every event we've seen him at," a trend that continued through his all-star game.

This popped him up to four-star status and eventually the top 250 on 24/7. Rivals did not have a take from this phase of his recruitment and left him in the spot you'd expect a junior WR with 30 catches to be. His commitment prompted this from Adam Gorney:

“He’s a guy who can really run by anybody. I’ve seen it happen a bunch of times and I think it will only continue. … not only fast in a straight line, but even through his routes, he’s a very fast kid."

He then said he'd have to fill out.

Wilson returned to Hawaii, where he was largely off the radar. These days a committed senior thousands of miles away from the continental US is a ghost. But when the recruiting industry came to him in the form of the Polynesian Game he again popped out as a guy to watch. Blair Angulo put him on his list of top performers because "there's more to his game than just pure speed." Wilson is a "savvy route runner who breaks down corners to gain separation quickly." Greg Biggins also covered the event and came back comparing him to a former five star:

"… explosive kid and has both a short area burst and long speed. He catches the ball really naturally, never fights it, and is pretty polished as well. … has improved immensely as a route runner over the last two years and is now much more well-rounded as a pass-catcher… proving to be more than just a speedster who can get behind a defense … competitiveness was unmatched.”

“Our NFL comparison is Mecole Hardman due to his pure quickness, agility, and ability to change directions."

They did say that he might not be as shifty in space as Hardman. I'll take it anyway.

Rivals did cover the Polynesian bowl and came back with similar, if briefer takes. Woody Womack asserted he "catches seemingly everything thrown his way and his catch radius far exceeds his physical stature," then put him on his list of the best receivers there along with top-100 Arizona State signee LV Bunkley-Shelton. This was not enough to bump him out of three-star territory. Doubly frustrating: they have him high enough that he is barely ineligible for what would otherwise have been the most slam-dunk sleeper of the year in forever.

Fortifying that would-be certainty: you can combine the above takes with on-campus ones from Rivals and 24/7, as collected by Seth. Rivals even asserted he was the best WR on the team. This drew a paragraph or two from Sam Webb saying, in effect, NICO COLLINS DON'T FORGET ABOUT NICO COLLINS before Webb settled in and confirmed that yes, Wilson was an immediate standout. Giddyup.

Etc.: Parents are both from Michigan, a major reason he decided on M. 3.8 GPA and checks the no-red-flags box:

“Roman has been a godsend to us; he’s exactly what our Crusader character model is,” Passas said. “He’s a genuine brother to all the younger student-athletes at Saint Louis, and they look up to him. After practice he hangs out and is always asking for more balls."

Why Steve Breaston? The zippiest recent Michigan receiver, Breaston checked in at the NFL combine to put up a 4.48 40 and a 4.29 shuttle. Wilson's already bested those numbers in the forgiving environment of a high school camp. Breaston was also a slender six-foot guy with moves; he had much farther to go as a WR because he was a high school quarterback. He stuck in the slot for the duration of his career and had issues catching deep balls after Braylon Edwards departed.

Other comparables include Mario Manningham if Wilson operates as an outside burner and Ronnie Bell.

Guru Reliability: Moderate. Major camp discrepancy here as Wilson's rep is built in part on the numbers he put up at a camp that Rivals did not attend. Limited in-person viewing, understandably.

Variance: Moderate-minus. Not giant, could end up being a little undersized if he doesn't fit in a slot role, some concern about production.

Ceiling: Vast. Fastest guy in the country give or take a five star.

General Excitement Level: Very high. Add in the fact that Wilson's improved a ton per the 24/7 guys and he was an immediate hit in practice and you've got a stew going.

Projection: Season does not exist. If it did the above practice takes mean he certainly would have seen the field. I'm not ready to believe those fully since one of them is "better than Nico!" and I also have my doubts a true freshman is going to dislodge Ronnie Bell, a returning starter who led the team in receiving a year ago.

If there is a spring season it is likely to be without Collins, and in that situation he should be a contributor. I subscribe to Freshman Wide Receivers Suck and like Cornelius Johnson a lot so I think he'd be your #3 outside WR unless he just outruns the world, a distinct possibility.