NFL draft preview: Illini LB Martze Wilson
Look at the numbers that Illinois linebacker Martez Wilson posted at the Scouting Combine, and they scream “first-round pick.”
At 250 pounds and a fraction under 6-foot-4, Wilson flew through 40 yards in 4.42 seconds, the best time of any linebacker and better than most of the running backs and wide receivers. Wilson also lifted 225 pounds 23 times in the bench press and had an NBA-like 36-inch vertical jump and a 10-foot-6-inch standing broad jump.
However, at this point in his career, Wilson is more of a workout warrior, a player who tests extremely well but whose production on the field doesn’t match up.
Because he lacks keen instincts and sometimes struggles to locate the ball, scouts and coaches who watch Wilson on tape say he sometimes looks like a third-round pick.
The Baltimore Ravens are rumored to be interested in having Wilson play next to Ray Lewis, inside in their 3-4 scheme, and eventually replace the future Hall of Famer. It’s uncertain that they’d take him in the first round with the 26th pick, though. And there is debate over whether he might be a better fit outside, where his freaky speed could translate into a pass-rushing terror. The same debate holds for teams that run a 4-3 scheme, such as the Bears.
Wilson said teams that interviewed him at the Combine weren’t certain about the ideal spot for him.
“It varies,” he said. “Some people say ‘inside,’ some say ‘outside.’ Some ask me what position I’d like to play. I explain to them if I could play similar to how I was playing at Illinois, both inside, outside, and even blitzing off the edge at times, that would be best. But wherever a coach would want me to play, just put me in the best position to make plays for the team, and I’ll do it.”
When the Illini won the recruiting battle for Wilson, beating out USC, Notre Dame and Ohio State among others, it was considered a major coup. Wilson was a Parade All-American at Simeon on Chicago’s South Side, playing defensive end and wide receiver with equal aplomb.
But Wilson’s Illini career didn’t take off as expected. He was a backup as a true freshman. The following year he began as a starter but was benched and then suspended for the season finale. That December he was stabbed twice in the back during a bar fight near campus in which he was reportedly coming to the assistance of a friend.
The next season was worse. In the 2009 season opener, Wilson made 9 tackles but suffered a herniated disc in his neck that required surgery and ended his season.
But last season he came back with a vengeance, making 112 tackles, 11 for negative yardage and adding 4 sacks.
“It was important to come off an injury like that,” Wilson said. “To come back and have a great season that I did, it was wonderful. Most people wouldn’t probably want to play football again after an injury of that nature. But I loved it.
“What I want everyone to know is that this kid really loves the game, and he plays with passion.”
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