The Pittsburgh Steelers’ search for depth at the cornerback position could be addressed in virtually any round in the upcoming draft. Howard Wilson, a defensive back prospect from the University of Houston, has NFL talent written all over him.

Just as William Jackson III did a year before him, Wilson is riding his strong performance in his junior season of college with hopes it will boost his draft stock. In 2016, Wilson recorded 54 tackles (45 solo), five interceptions, ten defended passes, and two fumble recoveries. As with many other collegiate athletes, returning to Houston could have boosted his draft stock in 2018, but it could severely hurt it, as well.

In three years, he recorded 107 tackles (72 solo), nine interceptions, and fifteen defended passes. In comparison to Artie Burns’ final year in college, Wilson had far superior numbers, although Burns had six interceptions to Wilson’s five. The question on the minds of general managers and head coaches will be if Wilson has the upside and potential to be selected in the earlier rounds of the draft.

Wilson has the height (6’1″) and weight (190 lbs) to be a starting outside cornerback at the professional level. His tackling ability and keen sense of finding the ball in the air will make him an attractive selection on many teams’ draft boards. He has sideline to sideline speed to keep up with the quickest of ball carriers, and fluidity in his hips to adjust routes on the fly.

In Houston’s game against the University of Cincinnati, Wilson displayed many quality traits that could make him a star in the NFL. Primarily assigned to Bearcats’ receiver Kahlil Lewis for the majority of the game, Wilson limited him to three receptions for 29 yards. In comparison, Lewis recorded 11 receptions, 150 yards and three touchdowns four weeks later against East Carolina.

His ability to come up and make great tackles was paramount in limiting his opposition to so few yards. He has strong tackling ability against receivers of his size, but will need to bulk up to bring down bigger opponents. At times, he struggled in bringing down tight ends and larger receivers.

Houston CB Howard Wilson can close in a hurry #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/0zzfYMJjAk — Brian Johannes (@Draft_Brian) February 28, 2017

Wilson picked off two passes in the contest and nearly had a third when he broke up a screen pass that he diagnosed perfectly. His first interception came early in the 4th when he had a perfect angle on receiver Devin Gray, and used his 33.5″ vertical to defeat any challenge Gray made for the ball.

Houston CB Howard Wilson soaring up to get an INT #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/KbSHSaAZVA — Brian Johannes (@Draft_Brian) February 28, 2017

His second interception was a perfectly read pass intended for wide receiver Brayden Beard. Just as he did earlier in the contest on the screen pass, he timed his jump on the route perfectly, sealed the interception, and returned it to the end zone to lengthen Houston’s lead over Cincinnati.

Buena lectura hecha por el CB de Houston Howard Wilson para llevarse el Pick Six. Me recuerda a Charles Tillman. pic.twitter.com/BxVhJgP3qZ — Carlos Blanco (@opiniondeldraft) February 28, 2017

At the NFL Combine, Wilson posted respectable numbers in the 40-yard dash (4.57), Vertical Jump (33.5″), Broad Jump (119″), 3 Cone Drill (6.68), and 20 yard-shuttle (3.94). Compared to other cornerback prospects in the draft, Wilson has a chance to be a sleeper pick late in the second round or in the middle of the third.

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According to Walterfootball.com, Wilson only participated in the 40-yard dash at Houston’s Pro Day, where he recorded a 4.58. Apparently, scouts “urged him to workout, but he wouldn’t change his mind” when it came to running position drills. The website feels this will hurt his draft stock, but after failing to improve on his 40 time, perhaps he did not want to risk the chance of recording worse numbers than he did in Indianapolis.

Depending on how the Steelers address the cornerback position in the draft, Wilson could be a great value pick with one of their two third round draft picks. He has the size, speed, and instincts to become an eventual starter if Ross Cockrell departs in free agency in 2018, or if any regulars in the secondary are injured for a substantial amount of time.