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Josh Wilson Makes Ravens Fastest Cornerback Duo

conoonk | Sep 01, 2010 | 336 comments

Sometime yesterday, the Baltimore Ravens traded a 2011 conditional 5th-round draft pick to the Seattle Seahawks for cornerback Josh Wilson.

Who is Josh Wilson?
The former 2nd-round draft pick in 2007 is an aggressive defensive back that spent his entire career thus far with the Seattle Seahawks. While the 5-9 and 192 lb. corner may not have much size, he makes up for it with speed.

Wilson, who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.39 seconds at the 2007 NFL Combine, utilizes his speed well in every return game. He’s no stranger to scoring either; Wilson returned a kick-off for a touchdown in his rookie year and returned 3 interceptions for touchdowns in the past 2 years.

Wilson ended his 2009 campaign with 45 total tackles, 2 interceptions, and 13 pass deflections in 12 games started.

Fastest Corners in the League
If Lardarius Webb is unable to return for Week 1, then Wilson might have to fill in for the No. 2 cornerback spot behind Fabian Washington.

That means Washington and Wilson would be the starting corners; and with an average 40-yard dash time of 4.32 seconds, they are arguably the fastest cornerback duo in the NFL right now. Washington had a time of 4.25 in 2005, making his time the 2nd fastest time ever recorded in the NFL Combine. Even with Webb, who ran a 4.46 in 2009, the average is still a low 4.36 seconds among the three starters.

While there’s more to being a cornerback than just raw speed, it is important for chasing down receivers on streaks and not getting beat.

Homegrown
Just like CB Domonique Foxworth, Wilson is a product of the University of Maryland (UM). In fact, the two were teammates at the UM for 3 years until Foxworth was drafted in 2005.

Here’s what Foxworth had to say about his reunited teammate:

“He’s an extremely fiery and aggressive player, and I think he’s very talented… I know his personality fits into what we’re building here. Josh is a no-nonsense type of guy that fits in with this defense and what it means to be a Raven. Off the field, he is a high-integrity guy. He’s a family man, who is very smart and community-minded… I’m looking forward to playing with him again, even if I can’t be out there on the field at the moment.”

Final Thoughts
Bringing in an experienced cornerback with potential was expected of the Ravens, but a lot of rumors were going around that either QB Troy Smith or RB Willis McGahee were the ammunition for starting trade talks. Fortunately, no one has been traded (yet).

A conditional draft pick is just another one of those genius moves by General Manager Ozzie Newsome. What this does is ensure the Ravens are getting what they pay for. The conditional 5th-round pick is based on how much Wilson plays; if he plays a lot, the pick could go up to a 4th-rounder for the Seahawks. So if Wilson become a bust, we won’t have to sacrifice so much.

I’m really liking the style of play Wilson brings to the field. I think he’ll fit right in to playing “like a Raven” in organized chaos.