The Cincinnati Bengals earned an “A” grade with the pick of Wyoming linebacker Logan Wilson in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft.
But what makes him tick? What should Bengals fans know?
Let’s take a look at five interesting points about the newest member of the Bengals.
He’s comped to Nick Kwiatkoski
Linebacker was a big need for the Bengals at every stop this offseason. One of the guys many seemed to like as a fit was Nick Kwiatkoski.
Interestingly enough, instead of paying up for Kwiatkoski, the Bengals went and got someone who comps to him.
Over at The Draft Network, that’s one of the big comps for Wilson. And while the veteran free agent didn’t come on until late, the Bengals have a big need and won’t hide Wilson at all.
Wyoming didn’t hide Wilson in coverage
Speaking of hiding Wilson, Wyoming didn’t do it often.
Here’s Wyoming LB coach Aaron Bohl, via Thomas Ringgaard of Philly Sports Network:
“We were able to so much of that stuff with him that it would help our game plan a lot with blitzes and coverages because we didn’t have to “hide” our middle linebacker, which a lot of teams have to do because at the end of the day they can’t play in space and doesn’t play well because of lack of confidence out there. Logan never got nervous when he was out there alone in space.”
That’s a big deal. The knee-jerk reaction is to think a 240-pound linebacker can’t cover. But based on his numbers and tape, he’ll be able to if asked.
He spent lockdown working out at Kelly Walsh High School in Casper
NFL prospects had to get creative in order to keep working out during the coronavirus lockdown.
Wilson was up front with reporters during the draft, noting that he stayed near family and put a high school’s facilities to use, as seen above.
He put up silly numbers
Wilson was a stat monster as one of the most prolific players to ever go through Wyoming.
But it wasn’t just within the context of Wyoming that Wilson was impressive. Here’s how he ranked among the entire FBS, per Scott Breen of Montana Sports:
“Among active players in 2019, he ranked: No. 1 among FBS players in the nation in Career Defensive TDs scored (4), No. 1 among active FBS players in Career Solo Tackles (253), No. 2 in Career Total Tackles (421), No. 4 in Career Interception Returns for Touchdowns ( 2), No. 6 in Career Total Interceptions (10), No. 6 in Career Solo Tackles per Game (4.87) and No. 8 among active FBS players in Career Total Tackles per Game (8.10).”
The diet rounded out his pro profile
From the sounds of it, Wilson arrived on campus at Wyoming at just 190 pounds.
Now he’s got a clear-cut NFL profile, which he says he finished off over the course of his senior year, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post:
“(My senior) year was the first time I was able to maintain my weight and dial into my nutrition. During the summer (of 2019), I lost 15 pounds of fat and gained 14 pounds of muscle. I just felt leaner, more healthy, faster — just a better athlete.
“It was just a decision on my own. The biggest thing was I stopped eating fast food. Not that I ate a lot of it beforehand, but when I went to Subway, I would get something more healthy.”
It’s interesting backstory to see how Wilson kept growing not only as a player, but as a prospect overall. The work there is undoubtedly one of the reasons the Bengals were thrilled to get him at the start of the third round.
