Steelers draft heavily scouted wide receiver Wilson in third round

The Steelers followed through on a player Mike Tomlin loved throughout the scouting process by drafting Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson with the 84th overall pick in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft Friday evening.

Wilson had a fantastic Senior Bowl, where Tomlin got his first look at him in up-close fashion. The interest was there from the onset, and Tomlin, Omar Khan, and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith all attended his pro day in Ann Arbor, Mich. to follow up on him.

Now, Wilson joins George Pickens as the top receivers in Smith's offense.

"That was one of the big things for me at the Senior Bowl," Wilson said via conference call with reporters Friday evening. "Having a guy like Mike Tomlin, I know that he's watching me and he wants me to go against the best and ball out. That's exactly what I went out there and did. ... Obviously it was a pretty good impression. I had informal interviews and I was walking past and I was walking towards the Steelers and he was walking out and we ran into each other and it was kind of weird, me and Quinyon (Mitchell) were right there and he pulled us to the side and was just like, 'you two, tomorrow, every rep needs to be you two. All eyes on you.' That's basically what happened."

Tomlin couldn't get enough of Wilson and Mitchell, who was selected by the Eagles in the first round Thursday. If he was any closer to the action on that Wednesday practice in Mobile, Ala., someone might have asked Tomlin to put some pads on:

COREY CRISAN / DKPS

Mike Tomlin, left, watches as Michigan receiver Roman Wilson lines up against Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell during practice at the Senior Bowl Jan. 31 in Mobile, Ala.

This occurrence was not a smokescreen. Tomlin's prints were all over that day and he stayed dialed into Wilson throughout the process. Here is Wilson beating Mitchell and adjusting for a one-handed catch in that practice in Mobile:

Wilson was the third receiver taken in the third round behind Western Kentucky's Malachi Corley (65th overall to the Jets) and Alabama's Jermaine Burton (80th overall to the Bengals). The Steelers never flinched on a potential trade for Wilson or another receiver as options like Washington's Jalen McMillan and Rice's Luke McCaffrey were also available. 

Wilson was their guy all along.

"Really excited to add Roman Wilson, another really high football character player," Smith said. "A lot of production last year at Michigan. Part of that really impressive class in the draft this year. It was really fun being at that Michigan pro day and get a chance to go to dinner with all of those guys with Mike and be a part of that process. Really impressed on the football field, but off the field as well. Fired up to get a chance to work with Roman."

Wilson gives off vibes of the Texans' Tank Dell with his strong hands and ability to make contested catches. He had 48 receptions for 789 yards and 12 touchdowns in Michigan's 2023 national championship season. Over the course of his career, Wilson caught 107 passes for 1,707 yards and 20 touchdowns. At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, he ran a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February. 

"The competitiveness. You can see his instincts on tape," Smith said. "Stepped up in the big moments. He had a great energy about him, too, when I met him in person. Being a part of a lot of people at dinner, you can see from meeting a lot of those guys at Michigan why they won the national championship and it's a credit to those players and that staff. We're just really excited to add that kind of value and experience as a rookie and act in that receiver room."

Smith lauded Wilson for his versatility and instincts, which contribute to his ability to play inside and out. 

Wilson played 206 of his 300 snaps in 2023 inside of the slot. He had 30 catches for 476 yards from that spot. He was reliable for first-rounder J.J. McCarthy as he dropped just one of his 67 targets in 2023.

"I think the reason they took me, they expect me to come in and play and help this team win games," Wilson said. "That's exactly what I'm going to come in and do."

The Steelers drafted a winner in Wilson. Michigan went 42-7 in his four years there.

"I think the most important thing I learned about winning is winning is more important than anything you can do on the field," Wilson said. "Your main focus should just be winning instead of trying to put up some crazy stat line. It helped me focus on winning and doing what ever I needed to do to win a game. That was the biggest thing I learned at Michigan."

Michigan ran the ball often in its championship season, and Wilson had zero issues with blocking for that ground attack:

Wilson sees the value in that.

"I feel like if your mindset's to win a game, you're going to go out there and do what ever your coach asks you to do to help the team win," Wilson said. "At Michigan for me, it was blocking. I feel like if I want to win a game I'm going to go out there and I'm going to block my ass off."

Steelers outside linebacker Nick Herbig and offensive lineman Nate Herbig are natives of Kauai, Hawaii. Wilson, a native of Maui, Hawaii, has familiarity with the Herbig brothers, who are now his teammates in Pittsburgh.

They all went to the same high school: St. Louis School in Honolulu.

"Nick Herbig, we're in the same grade, same age. We played ball together," Wilson said. "I know him very well. When I went to high school we kind of grew up together a little bit, so that's my guy."

Wilson was the second of three picks the Steelers made Friday evening. The Steelers drafted West Virginia center Zach Frazier with the 51st overall pick in the second round, and they took N.C. State linebacker Payton Wilson with the 98th overall selection at the end of the third round.