The Falcoholic will sporadically be looking at potential first round picks for the Atlanta Falcons in the 2010 NFL Draft. Today, Boise State cornerback Kyle Wilson.
When Mel Kiper Jr. and his hair are impressed with you, a rapid ascension up teams' draft boards is sure to follow.
That's the case for Kyle Wilson, a well-regarded prospect coming into the Senior Bowl whose stock has risen to the point that he's a viable late first round pick. At 5'10 and 190, Wilson isn't the towering monster many of us would like to see at corner in 2010, but he offers a lot and may be the best coverage corner in the draft outside of Mr. Joe Haden.
What's impressing scouts this week is Wilson's speed, acceleration, agility and fantastic awareness. Those of you who complain about our corners not knowing where the ball is have to find some footage of this guy. He always knows, and he's quick enough to do something about it. For me, going secondary this early in the draft means you have to get a guy who can potentially lock down opposing receivers, and Wilson's likely to be right near the top of any list by the time we pick at 19/20, whether you believe he should be going a little later or not. He also offers significant value on special teams.
Of course, this is a limited sample size and the usual caveats apply. Wilson also isn't famous for being a huge tackler or someone who contributes significantly in run support, something our current coaching staff clearly values. Those are coachable weaknesses and he doesn't appear to be lacking in strength, so I don't see any flaws so glaring that they couldn't be handled.
The bigger question, one that I alluded to briefly about a paragraph for those of you with short attention spans, is whether it would be reasonable to select him as early as the Falcons are picking. The quick answer is yes. The longer answer is yes, because he's one of maybe two or three second tier corners worth a damn behind Joe Haden and if the Falcons are intent on going corner they'll have to contend with a trip to the abyss when they pick again in the third round. A more reasonable argument might be that we need the pass rush more than we need another option in the secondary, and that's one I'm more than willing to accept.
Bottom line? If the Falcons are looking to draft an excellent cover corner, it probably should be Kyle Wilson. His upside is as a true number one option among our muddled corps, and that's something we've dreamed about here for a long time. I'm putting his name on the table.
Feel free to debate it.