clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

2011 NFL Draft News: Texans Meet With LB Wilson & TE Williams At NFL Combine

It was tweeted by the National Football Post's Aaron Wilson that Illinois LB Martez Wilson met with the Houston Texans, among other teams. Of course, a player meeting with a team doesn't show interest. In fact, many teams will never publicly meet with a player they have interest in. It's all part of the poker-esque aura of the pre-draft season. All 32 NFL teams are bluffing each other in order to get their prospects - the ones they're ignoring.

However, I digress from my main point: Martez Wilson. Who is he? A 6-4', 250-pound middle linebacker from Illinois who was a 1st-to-2nd round tweener. On Monday, Mr. Wilson ran a 4.44 (to some sources) 40-yard dash - the fastest by anyone who ran with the linebackers. According to the wide Internet opinion, Wilson's always had the tools to play at an elite level, but, for whatever reason, has not consistently put it all together on the field. Wilson's got the size and athleticism to play strong-side linebacker for Houston, but is this the right situation for him? Can new defensive coordinator Wade Phillips unleash Wilson and bring out the most of his incredible physical gifts?

If the Texans truly are considering Wilson, they either need to A) hope he's available at 43 (their 2nd round pick) or B) trade back in round one to try and pick up Wilson with an additional pick or two. Picking Wilson at 11 would be a reach...even for someone like me who doesn't embrace the traditional models of value and reach - more on that as we roll on to the draft.

Another player who spoke with Houston? Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams - let your tight end jokes start now.

Images by eflon used in background images under a Creative Commons license. Thank you.