In a loaded 2024 NFL Draft wide receiver class, Florida State’s Johnny Wilson stood out during the NFL Combine … literally. He recorded the tallest height (6’6 3/8″) and longest wingspan (84 1/2″) at the position in the event’s history. In fact, Wilson’s Combine showing had fans and analysts thinking about a college WR turned star NFL TE: Darren Waller.
FSU WR Johnny Wilson’s Combine Similarities to NFL TE Darren Waller
Entering their Combines, Wilson and Waller were on far different trajectories. For one, Waller played WR for a triple option-heavy Georgia Tech squad, resulting in limited career numbers: 51 catches, 971 yards, and nine touchdowns. Most analysts viewed him as a big-bodied pass catcher who saw limited positional development with the Yellow Jackets and would be a project in the NFL.
Meanwhile, Wilson nearly doubled Waller’s production in just two years starting for FSU (having spent his first two seasons at Arizona State while seeing less than 200 passing snaps): 102 receptions, 1,757 yards, and eight TDs. PFN Draft Analyst Ian Cummings had this to say about Wilson in his scouting report in September:
“Wilson grades out as a mid-Day 2 target who could rise into the early Day 2 range with another good year. He’s in contention for a top-10 WR spot in the 2024 NFL Draft, but his physical profile and role projection are more confined and specific than other receivers.”
With the table set, here’s a snapshot of Wilson and Waller’s Combine results.
Wilson, 2024 NFL Combine
- Height: 6’6 3/8″
- Weight: 231
- Arm Length: 35 3/8″
- Hand Length: 10″
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.52
- 10-Yard Split: 1.55
- 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.11
- Vertical Jump: 37″
- Broad Jump: 10’8″
- Relative Athletic Score (RAS): 9.73
Waller, 2015 NFL Combine
- Height: 6’6 1/8″
- Weight: 238
- Arm Length: 33 1/4″
- Hand Length: 9″
- 40-Yard Dash: 4.46
- 10-Yard Split: 1.57
- 20-Yard Shuttle: 4.25
- Vertical Jump: 37″
- Broad Jump: 10’5″
- Relative Athletic Score (RAS): 9.29
Is Wilson the Next Waller?
The biggest difference between the two is this: According to Wilson himself at the 2024 NFL Combine, no team he has spoken with has pitched the idea of switching positions.
On the other hand, Waller told Ravens editorial director Ryan Mink that about half the teams he talked to entering the draft said they could see him moving to tight end: “It was always a case where, if it happened, it wouldn’t surprise me.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean a position switch isn’t in Wilson’s future, but it’s a good sign that NFL teams believe he can survive, if not thrive, on the outside full-time.
His 4.11-second short shuttle time, used to quantify quickness and change of direction, ranked eighth among all participants at the 2024 Combine and speaks to his unique ability to get in and out of breaks at his size.
Wilson, like every prospect, is not perfect and comes with some significant red flags as a receiver. Chief among them is the fact that 29.7% of his career targets were contested, an indicator of an inability to separate downfield. Other early-round WRs with a similar rate: Quentin Johnston (27.1%), Hakeem Butler (28.8%), Denzel Mims (28.9%), and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside (37.3%).
Although Johnston is barely entering Year 2, so it’s too early to put a nail into his career, it’s safe to say Butler, Mims, and Arcega-Whiteside failed to live up to their draft billing. But there is one name that I didn’t mention: former Michigan WR Nico Collins (32.0%), who just had a breakout season for the Houston Texans.
KEEP READING: Top RAS Results by Position at the 2024 NFL Combine
QB play always affects WR stats, and Shea Patterson’s advanced career numbers (10.4-yard aDOT, 70.2% adjusted completion rate, and 2.91-second time to throw) are eerily similar to Jordan Travis’ (10.4, 71.1%, and 2.98, respectively) — take that for what you will.
Will Wilson be the next Waller? Will he be the next Collins? The answer is no to both — he’ll be the one and only Johnny Wilson. Diving into player projections provides baseline expectations for fans and scouts. And Wilson’s range of outcomes should make both ecstatic about his professional future.
All the 2024 NFL Draft resources you need — the draft order, the top QBs, the Top 100 prospects, and the full 2024 Big Board — right at your fingertips at Pro Football Network!