STRENGTHS - Wilson is well put together wide receiver that has really good ability to turn and get up the field with the ball in his hands. He is a good north/south runner and does a good job of getting yardage after the catch, not because of his speed but because he takes what the defense gives him. Wilson is a victim of poor QB play and scheme at Marshall. Wilson is a very good route-runner as evidenced by the skinny post he ran for a touchdown against Tulsa. He makes good adjustments to the ball and uses his body to block out defenders. Wilson is a very willing blocker, he will engage and push his man down the field or sometimes he will just shield with his body and keep a tackler away from the ball carrier. Wilson is physical player willing to mix it up.
WEAKNESSES - Wilson lacks short area quickness and struggles to separate from defenders who attack him with the press at the LOS. Wilson lines up primarily on the right side of the field as a "Z" receiver in Marshall's offense. Wilson does not have great hands because he lets the ball get too far into his body. He will drop the ball when he is trying to pluck it off of his frame because he looks more comfortable catching it with his body. Wilson looks stuck from a positional perspective as he isn't quick enough to play in the slot and he may not be strong enough to play outside in the NFL. He has a maxed out frame and he won't get bigger because of limited growth potential. Wilson is not returning punts and is not helping out on special teams.
SUMMARY - Antavious Wilson plays outside receiver for the Marshall Thundering Herd. He always lines up on the right side of the field and plays the "Z" position. Wilson has good size and at 200 pounds, he won't get any bigger going forward. He is most effective against zone and off-man coverage. Wilson is a solid wide receiver but he lacks explosion athletically and struggles with a lack of short area quickness. He shows strong ability to adjust to the ball in the air, but his hands are suspect because he doesn't pluck the ball away from his frame. He allows the ball to get into his body and it causes him to drop the ball. He looks to be an above average route runner and will find little areas to beat defenses. He lacks pure speed any doesn't have the explosion in his game to threaten the defense vertically. He looks to be a possession type player who will work underneath the defense and the boundary. He does a nice job of running through arm tackles but is not a player that will break a tackle and take the ball the distance. He looks like a workhorse instead of a racehorse. Wilson does a very nice job blocking down the field and it looks to be a strength of his game, as Marshall likes to run the ball to his side. He uses his body and long arms well to stay on his blocks. At the end of the day, he is stuck playing outside as a "Z" receiver because he isn't quick enough to play in the slot and he isn't big or explosive enough to play the "X". Wilson warrants fifth-round consideration because of his smarts, ability to turn up the field and the way he helps the running game with his blocking. He will need to add value on special teams to make it in the NFL.