If Russell Wilson Was Taller? - Page 2

niel89 · 03-03-2012, 08:22 PM

I think the premise of the thread isn't that bad really. Wilson is almost completely dismissed as a prospect because of his height, which is fair enough because that's the reality. This thread is just trying to look at everything else about Wilson that gets ignored. He is a pretty damn good player. 33 tds to 4 picks and 72.8% is great.

jackalope · 03-03-2012, 08:39 PM

Right. Instead of the hypothetical, consider the question "Is height the only thing hold Wilson back from being a first round pick?"

PossibleCabbage · 03-03-2012, 09:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by niel89

I think the premise of the thread isn't that bad really. Wilson is almost completely dismissed as a prospect because of his height, which is fair enough because that's the reality. This thread is just trying to look at everything else about Wilson that gets ignored. He is a pretty damn good player. 33 tds to 4 picks and 72.8% is great.

But the thing is, "If [player] didn't have a deficiency in [generally relevant characteristic] what would we think of him" is kind of a useless exercise. Every prospect would be thought more highly of if they were taller, stronger, faster, had longer arms, etc.

A more relevant question is "Can Russell Wilson overcome the issue of his height in the NFL?"

Personally, while he's definitely a great college QB, I think his NFL prospects are limited, but I think he can be a hall of famer in Canada.

Taber21 · 03-03-2012, 09:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PossibleCabbage

but I think he can be a hall of famer in Canada.

What exactly do you think makes this possible?

PossibleCabbage · 03-03-2012, 09:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Taber21

What exactly do you think makes this possible?

Shorter, extremely mobile quarterbacks do very well in the Canadian Football League.

Of the guys who aren't considered to be NFL starters in their first few years, Wilson is probably the most coveted guy by Canadian teams.

49erNation85 · 03-03-2012, 11:31 PM

This is like saying if Kellen Moore was 6'3 or taller then who would also be a first round pick but nope height issues is hurting them both. Moore > Wilson IMO.

PackerLegend · 03-03-2012, 11:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackalope

I'm really hoping Green Bay drafts this guy at some point on day three.

No doubt overcoming his height would be a big accomplishment, but there's a couple things worth noting. Wilson played behind a very big offensive line at Wisconsin that is probably taller than most NFL lines. Wilson only had three passes batted down last year. For comparison Brock Osweiler (6'7") had 19.

This... our O-Line is huge and he didnt seem to have any problems. The guy is good I wish he could have stayed at Wisc for longer. Best QB we have had for a long time.

Master Exploder · 03-04-2012, 02:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 49erNation85

This is like saying if Kellen Moore was 6'3 or taller then who would also be a first round pick but nope height issues is hurting them both. Moore > Wilson IMO.

I don't think height is the only thing killing Kellen Moore.

The point I'm trying to make is that you see guys like Ryan Tannehill and Brock Osweiler get hyped up a lot. The same with Blaine Gabbert from last year because of their combination of size/potential. However, when I watch Tannehill and Osweiler, I don't see anything besides potential to maybe be good. When I watch Russell Wilson, I see a QB who is capable of starting day 1. I see a guy who can make all of the throws and lead an offense. However, he doesn't have the size advantage of Tannehill or Osweiler. I was just wondering how people thought his skill sets ranked amongst the top QB's in the draft. I feel like some people are taking my hypothetical question too literally instead of focusing on the message that I intended to convey.

FUNBUNCHER · 03-04-2012, 03:59 AM

I'm really interested in following Russell Wilson's NFL career. He could exist in obscurity for several years as some NFL teams' top #2, or he could sneak into a starting role and be the shock of the NFL.

Unlike Kellen Moore, Wilson's only major negative is height. He has a good arm(which is where the comparison to Kellen Moore ends), is mobile, makes near impeccable decisions with the football and has a high QB IQ.

If Russell Wilson were 6'2, there would be three borderline elite QB prospects in this draft.

descendency · 03-04-2012, 05:40 AM

If he were 3-4 inches taller, he'd be Tim Tebow with a little less obvious religious disposition.

SuperPacker · 03-04-2012, 06:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 49erNation85

This is like saying if Kellen Moore was 6'3 or taller then who would also be a first round pick but nope height issues is hurting them both. Moore > Wilson IMO.

Kellen Moore is a million times worse than Wilson. Wilson has everything over Moore other than being slightly less accurate. Wilson has the potential to be a starter in the league whereas Moore will be out the league in 2 years.

SuperPacker · 03-04-2012, 06:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by descendency

If he were 3-4 inches taller, he'd be Tim Tebow with a little less obvious religious disposition.

No, no and no. Wilson is loads more accurate, he ran a pro style offense at Wisconsin.

phlysac · 03-04-2012, 08:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 49erNation85

This is like saying if Kellen Moore was 6'3 or taller then who would also be a first round pick but nope height issues is hurting them both. Moore > Wilson IMO.

Because Moore's lack of an NFL arm and lack or top-athleticism isn't added to his height issue.

Russell Wilson has a much stronger arm and is light-years ahead of Moore athletically.

Russell Wilson has been my favorite QB prospect for nearly 3 years. If he was 6'2"+ he'd be my #1QB. Crazy or not, that's how I've viewed him.

jackalope · 03-04-2012, 12:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by descendency

If he were 3-4 inches taller, he'd be Tim Tebow with a little less obvious religious disposition.

I really don't see this comparison at all.

PossibleCabbage · 03-04-2012, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackalope

I really don't see this comparison at all.

I don't either. Wilson is a much better passer than Tebow ever was.

dmoneyrockin · 03-04-2012, 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by descendency

If he were 3-4 inches taller, he'd be Tim Tebow with a little less obvious religious disposition.

I wish this were a joke, but sadly it isn't.

descendency · 03-04-2012, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jackalope

I really don't see this comparison at all.

I wouldn't call it a "comparison" like you would use with most, but a metaphor/simile.

Wilson is a vastly over-rated QB with a baseball throwing motion. His accuracy is decent, but his football IQ is low. Very low (he literally never was allowed to run the offense at NC State, in any form. Nothing pre-snap). His athleticism is a bit over-rated, but he can definitely move well enough for the NFL. I really can't tell if it was because of his height, but he made a number of great throws at NC State and a number of absolutely terrible ones (the VT game his junior year was won until Russell decided to be Russell. If Russell had more time in the off-season to actually master the offense, that team could have gone to a BCS bowl game - lead by Wilson).

He reminds me of a lot of other college QBs that go on to the NFL and fail miserably.

I see him as a mid rounder with 3-4 more inches.

BamaFalcon59 · 03-04-2012, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by descendency

I wouldn't call it a "comparison" like you would use with most, but a metaphor/simile.

Wilson is a vastly over-rated QB with a baseball throwing motion. His accuracy is decent, but his football IQ is low. Very low (he literally never was allowed to run the offense at NC State, in any form. Nothing pre-snap). His athleticism is a bit over-rated, but he can definitely move well enough for the NFL. I really can't tell if it was because of his height, but he made a number of great throws at NC State and a number of absolutely terrible ones (the VT game his junior year was won until Russell decided to be Russell. If Russell had more time in the off-season to actually master the offense, that team could have gone to a BCS bowl game - lead by Wilson).

He reminds me of a lot of other college QBs that go on to the NFL and fail miserably.

I see him as a mid rounder with 3-4 more inches.

Location: NC State

Will disguard this opinion.

descendency · 03-04-2012, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BamaFalcon59

Location: NC State

Will disguard this opinion.

Good idea. ignore someone whom saw him play 3 years.

nobodyinparticular · 03-04-2012, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by descendency

I wouldn't call it a "comparison" like you would use with most, but a metaphor/simile.

Wilson is a vastly over-rated QB with a baseball throwing motion. His accuracy is decent, but his football IQ is low. Very low (he literally never was allowed to run the offense at NC State, in any form. Nothing pre-snap). His athleticism is a bit over-rated, but he can definitely move well enough for the NFL. I really can't tell if it was because of his height, but he made a number of great throws at NC State and a number of absolutely terrible ones (the VT game his junior year was won until Russell decided to be Russell. If Russell had more time in the off-season to actually master the offense, that team could have gone to a BCS bowl game - lead by Wilson).

He reminds me of a lot of other college QBs that go on to the NFL and fail miserably.

I see him as a mid rounder with 3-4 more inches.

This is completely unrelated, but every time I see "Russell" in relation to QB play, I think of the abysmal Jamarcus Russell. I just cringed 3 times in the course of 2 seconds.

P-L · 03-04-2012, 08:26 PM

I really like Russell Wilson, but some of you are overrating his skill set. 5'11" or not, if he had a top ten skill set he wouldn't be projected as a 4th-6th round pick. As rare as it is, some short quarterbacks have succeeded in the NFL and high first round ability would get him drafted higher than he's being projected.

FUNBUNCHER · 03-04-2012, 08:59 PM

I really don't know how Russell Wilson could have played any better than he did last season for Wisconsin.

He maxed that offense from a passing perspective. The Badgers defense prevented them from ending the season undefeated and losing the Rose Bowl.

I know it's seems totally random and arbitrary, but IMHO if Russell Wilson was the exact same QB except 6'2-6'3, the way scouts viewed him as a pro prospect would be radically different.

It wouldn't be an issue of whether or not he could be a quality backup in the NFL, the question then would be if Russell Wilson could develop into an elite QB in the right system.

No team looks at a sub 6 foot QB no matter how good as a potential 'savior' of a franchise.
Even Mike Vick's situation when he came out of Va Tech was totally fluky and I don't think he'd be rated the same today as a pro QB prospect as he was in 2000(?).