Why Jonathan Woods Will and Quintin Wilson Won't: Jayhawks in '11 NFL Draft

I really enjoyed doing that little scouting prospectus on Jamaal Greene a few days back, and decided I'd give it another try.

This time, however, I'd like to look at one guy who will owe Turner Gill (and defensive coordinator Carl Torbush) a lot of credit if he manages to cash in during next summer's NFL draft, and one guy who may have Gill to thank if he falls off the radar entirely.

Let's do the latter of those first, both because Jonathan Wilson deserves the best explanation I can offer, and because I'd like to end on a positive note.

Here goes...

Jonathan Wilson, Sr. (6' 3", 189 pounds)

Now, I know for a fact Wilson is a great guy, and he has the team's interests at heart far more than his own.  This type of thinking probably hasn't even crossed his mind.

Still, in my first thoughts on a post spring game depth chart, I don't even have the super-experienced senior wide-out penciled in as a starter.  Never mind making it in the NFL draft.

Let's face it, though.  Wilson is the perfect receiver for a spread offense.  He is bigger, stronger, more athletic, and a better blocker than your average receiver with average hands in a crowd but with a large catch-radius. 

Behind Kerry Meier and Dezmon Briscoe, Wilson could break off his ho-hum route when needed and made probably 75 percent of his catches coming back to the ball. 

This year, in a more-standard offense, the ball will get out from under center and out of the quarterback's hands a lot quicker.  Great short, medium, and play-action route-running will become a must.

I think Wilson struggles because I don't think he's quick or sharp enough for good short routes, fast enough for deep ones, and I don't think he has the burst to separate from a quick defender or the hands to reel in an earlier, sharper pass with a defender right on his tail.

Sure, he doesn't have Briscoe-baggage, but he doesn't have Briscoe athleticism, Briscoe playmaking ability, or even Briscoe speed.  His hands may be steadier than Briscoe's, but they certainly aren't as strong for ripping a ball from a crowd.

On the other hand, I hope Wilson reads this, gets pissed, surprises the hell out of me, has a great season, and sneaks onto the end of the draft board. 

He deserves it.  Wilson's a good, smart kid who will always have a special spot in my mental photo album of great KU football memories.

Quintin Woods, Sr. (6' 5", 236 pounds)

I can't do an article about how some over-achievement from the perennially underachieving Jamal Greene could land him in the draft without mentioning Quintin Woods soon after.

I've always been skeptical of JuCo transfers and their success on the Division-I level.  Quintin Woods isn't helping my perception.

If he's anywhere close to as athletic as Rivals had him listed (a 4.6 40 from a guy that size—that's NFL athleticism right there), he should be an absolute beast off the edge in the pass-happy Big 12.

However, Woods, for what it's worth, looked pretty good in the spring football game.  Actually, he and Jamal Greene had more individual impact than the two ever combined to create in a single game last season.

In 2010, a big season from Woods could mean one more shot at bigger and better football leagues beyond the college ranks. 

If Division-II third-team All-American Eugene Sims can sneak into the sixth round of the 2010 draft (not that I think he shouldn't have been drafted there, but just as a comparison tool), I don't see why Woods couldn't work himself into a late-round/free agent position with a good season and impressive workouts.

Perhaps, with the combination of the fierce, wizened nature of Carl Torbush, the steadying hand of Jake Laptad, and the competitive energy of young guns like John Williams and Kevin Young behind athletic underachievers like Greene and Woods, this will be the year Kansas' front four really comes together.

There probably needs to be an actual fourth man involved in that, though.  My bet right now is on Richard Johnson, who brings a lot of experience and decent size to the table, or John Williams, who is as athletic and brick-built as sub-300 pound defensive tackles come.