Tyler Wilson: Final Season in Review
Quarterback Tyler Wilson threw for 7,765 passing yards breaking the UA record set by Ryan Mallet. (Photo by Gareth Patterson)
In retrospect, every Hog fan knew quarterback Tyler Wilson could have and probably should have declared for the draft after last season. In hopes of a National Championship, Wilson stuck with Arkansas for another year.
Some predict that Wilson will be drafted this year as highly as in the top 20; however, given Arkansas’ season this year, it seems as if his draft stock has taken a hit.
Despite the Razorbacks’ 4-8 season, though, Wilson has managed to not look completely ridiculous. The experienced receivers he played with last year took their leave into the NFL and injuries have left Wilson with less options and less coverage.
Not to mention the fact that the man who just started to mold Wilson into a potential National
Championship quarterback got fired before summer even started.
Of course, Wilson couldn’t have seen most of that coming. When he decided to not declare to draft, Wilson had high expectations for the season. Everything was in place to keep improving after 2010’s 10-3 record and 2011’s 11-2 record.
However, since the quarterback draft class this year is a fairly average group, Wilson has penetrated the top five quarterback picks in the 2013 NFL Draft Tracker, falling behind Geno Smith of West Virginia, Matt Barkley of USC, E.J. Manuel of Florida State and Zac Dysert of Miami.
In 2011, Wilson had 24 touchdowns and 3,638 passing yards with only six interceptions. This season, Wilson had 21 touchdowns, 3,387 passing yards and 13 interceptions.
What can’t be found on the stat sheet, though, is how often Wilson threw a completed pass while under pressure, or most commonly, while being tackled, his passion for the game and the reasons behind the poor season.
Wilson made his way into Arkansas’ record book this season. With 7,765 passing yards in his career, Wilson became the all-time leader in career passing yards at the UA, beating Ryan Mallett’s previous record of 7,493.
The LSU game marked Wilson’s seventh game of his career and fifth game of this season with over 350 passing yards, also UA records.
Wilson shows promise for any NFL team with a coach willing to build him up from where he left off.
Given this season, Wilson still looks to be drafted as highly as late first round or second round.
