I took an educated stab at which of the young receivers would impress and be in line for playing time at the beginning of fall camp, leaving Marquess Wilson off the list. Turns out I was way off base. Through two weeks, Wilson has been a steady presence in the wide receiver corps, distancing himself from the rest of the newcomers.
Then today, he did this:
Hello world, my name is Marquess Wilson. Keep watching for another great catch at about the 2:00 mark.
It takes a lot to get Vince Grippi fired up about practices and scrimmages. Like us, he seems to stay on an even keel, never getting to high or low. In response to the Wilson catch and run, he said this.
One first down and Carl Winston run brought the ball to the defense’s 44. Marshall Lobbestael took a snap, looked up, and rifled a quick in to Marquess Wilson. Three defenders had him boxed in, with Mike Ledgerwood closest. Wilson jabbed inside then literally jumped to the outside. Ledgerwood whiffed. Everyone else had a touch but nothing more. Boom, Wilson was free and the left sideline was open. It was as impressive a move as I’ve seen a wide receiver make here and it impressed his teammates just as much.
Granted this was just one play, but it's the latest in a series of performances Wilson has put on during the fall camp. In the first scrimmage, Wilson caught 6 balls for 51 yards, leading all receivers. This time around he had 5 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown, again leading all receivers. Oh, and there's that filthy, fall out of your shoes move he pulled off.
Wilson is emerging as a playmaker for a receiving corps that desperately needs one. He's quick, he's shifty, he's just what Dr. Levenseller ordered. I don't want to go too overboard, but Wilson could be something special if he keeps this up.
We'll be back with more later, but for now just watch that video over and over.