C.J. Wilson Scouting Report

Much like East Carolina, who are having a great season in the C-USA, defensive end C.J. Wilson is flying under the national radar. It is not like Wilson has come out of nowhere this season. As a true freshman in 2006 he started seven games and totaled 4.0 sacks and 6.0 tackles for loss. That led to C-USA All-Freshman Team accolades. The production continued in 2007 and Wilson even added a couple of blocked kicks to his growing resume. By 2008 Wilson was the anchor of a dominating front line. The front seven tallied 31 sacks, 91 tackles for loss and the team ranked seventh in the nation by forcing 33 turnovers. Through 11 games of the 2009 campaign, Wilson has not slowed down. He leads the squad with 5.5 sacks and has added 9.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries. Wilson has also emerged as more than just a pass rusher and ranks fifth on the Pirates with 50 tackles. Right now Wilson is probably a second or third round selection, but his stock could quickly rise once NFL scouts get a good look at him during senior week and at the NFL Combine. He has the size and the speed to be a very good player in the NFL and could very easily move up draft boards in a hurry between now and April. 1/24 Update: Wilson did not get to the quarterback much during the Pirates last few games of the season, but he got a lot of pressure on Houston's Case Keenum in the Conference USA Championship game and Arkansas' Ryan Mallett in the Liberty Bowl. Wilson is still considered a mid-level prospect, but that could change in the coming months.