Roman Wilson’s college stats were limited, but Steelers believe they have draft steal

He was the leading receiver for undefeated national champion Michigan, he proved clutch on the biggest of college stages and he ran the 40-yard dash in less than 4.4 seconds at the NFL combine.

So how did Roman Wilson last until the 14th wide receiver selected in the draft, and how did the Pittsburgh Steelers manage to get him 84th overall?

Part of what attracted the Steelers to Wilson, it turns out, was the lack of gaudy statistics.

Indirectly, at least.

“What I saw was a great teammate,” Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said of Wilson, the first of the team’s two third-round picks. “You know, everybody wants the ball and that’s great. You want guys that want the ball. I have a problem with guys that don’t want to work.

“So, the guys who are good teammates and do that, you can get more possessions and extend drives. I think the tape shows a lot about your personality. People can say what they want, but you look at their actions and certainly (how) Roman pops off (when watching), the tape backs (that) up when you meet (him) in person.. We’re just really excited to get him in our program.”

Though Wilson’s 12 receiving touchdowns were bested by only eight players in the country in 2023, his other totals in the traditional statistics appear rather ordinary: 3.2 catches and 52.6 yards per game as a senior for Michigan.

But context illuminates. The Wolverines are among the few elite programs that has run a pro-style offense. Its run-heavy lean was exacerbated by the team’s dominance last season (big leads don’t offer situational use for much passing).

If Wilson had played for a spread, fast-paced, pass-first offense on a team that played in plenty of close games, who knows how many catches and yards he could have racked up?

The 1,000-yard season he never achieved? Wilson will gladly take the national championship ring instead.

“I think the most important thing I learned about winning is that I think winning is more important than anything you could ever do on the field,” said Wilson, who had a tying touchdown with 1 minute, 34 seconds left in the College Football Playoff semifinal against Alabama on Jan 1. “I feel like your main focus should just be winning instead of just trying to put up some crazy stat line. It just helped me focus on just winning and doing whatever I need to do to win a game. That was the biggest thing I learned at Michigan.”

The 5-foot-10, 186-pound Wilson figures to have an opportunity to immediately contribute as a rookie after the Steelers traded Diontae Johnson, released Allen Robinson and allowed No. 5 WR Miles Boykin to depart in free agency.

Wilson joins a depth chart in which third-year George Pickens has inherited the WR1 designation but includes mostly question marks and journeymen beyond that.

Wilson spent a significant portion of his college career running routes out of the slot. The Steelers have no obvious other option there, so a prominent rookie gig for Wilson appears to be there for the taking.

“He creates separation at break points. He’s battle tested on the interior portions of the field. He comes from a winning program,” coach Mike Tomlin said. “You can’ say enough about the winning component in terms of how it shapes the relationships with the game and what they’re willing to do and their mettle. He checks a lot of those boxes.”

Smith touted that Wilson can excel on the outside in addition to from the slot and that the Steelers value his versatility.

The hiring of Smith, in simplistic terms, suggests the Steelers are seeking to trend their offense more toward how Michigan has operated in the Big Ten in recent seasons.

All the more reason for the Steelers to buy into that Wilson, well, will buy into what they intend on doing.

“I feel like if your mindset is to win a game,” Wilson said, “you’re going to go out there and do whatever your coach asked you to do to help the team win.”