Heritage’s Marco Wilson is latest UF defender drafted. Can he put it together in the NFL?
.JPG "Florida cornerback Marco Wilson (3) tries to stop Georgia wide receiver Javon Wims on Oct. 28, 2017, in Jacksonville.")
And another former Plantation American Heritage standout has been drafted.
The Arizona Cardinals selected Florida Gators cornerback Marco Wilson with the 31st pick in the fourth round — No. 136 overall — on Saturday of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Wilson, the younger brother of fellow former Gator and New York Giants cornerback Quincy Wilson, played in 36 games over his UF career, recording 103 tackles with three interceptions — all three of which came in the 2019 season. He was just the fourth player in Gators history to start at cornerback in the first game of his true freshman season, joining Joe Haden (2007), Janoris Jenkins (2008) and Marcus Roberson (2011).
He had a rough redshirt junior season, with his main highlight coming when he threw a cleat in the fourth quarter of Florida’s home loss to LSU that set up the Tigers’ go-ahead field goal attempt, but he has the physical makeup to compete for an NFL roster spot.
Wilson played both nickel corner and on the outside throughout his UF career.
“Ingredients like size, speed, strength and athleticism are all present, but Wilson hasn’t been able to combine them and make a meal since early in his career,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his scouting report. “He clearly has the athletic talent and skill set to be a much better man defender than he showed in 2020. His size and strength are big advantages when it’s time to play the 50-50 balls, but he needs to do a more consistent job of crowding his targets and maintaining his positioning through the rep. There are times when the coverage pursuit simply looks too lackadaisical and not consistently competitive from game to game. Wilson’s run-support effort needs a lot of work, as teams will find and exploit it if he is on the field. He has the traits and athleticism of a Day 2 starter, but with the tape of a Day 3 backup with inside/outside versatility.”
At Heritage, Wilson started at cornerback for the Patriots’ Class 5A state title run as a senior in 2016 and was a first-team Miami Herald All-Broward member. He was a four-star prospect and the No. 29 overall player in the state of Florida in the Class of 2017 recruiting class, according to the 247Sports composite ranking.
Injuries could be a concern long-term. Wilson tore the ACL in his right knee twice — first as a junior in high school and then two games into his sophomore year at UF in 2018.
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