Lawrence Wilson Scouting Report

Lawrence Wilson has been a tackle machine since he stepped foot on Connecticut's campus. As a redshirt freshman in 2007, he was not supposed to be the starter, but an injury in the spring forced Wilson into action. And he was ready to step up and have one of the best freshman campaigns by a UConn defender since they made the jump to the FBS level. In fact, Wilson's 113 tackles that season is the highest for a freshman since the Huskies moved up to college football's highest level. On top of his impressive tackle total, Wilson added 8.5 tackles-for-loss and an interception. Wilson only tallied 73 tackles during his sophomore campaign in 2008, but that was good enough for second on the team. More importantly, Wilson started to show his knack for making big plays.

In 2009, Wilson went back to being a big-time tackler. He ended his junior season with 140 tackles, 11.0 tackles-for-loss and 5.0 sacks. The 2010 campaign has pretty much gone the same. Through ten games Wilson is leading the Huskies with 103 tackles and has added 9.0 tackles-for-loss and 3.0 sacks.

Wilson has not been making too many big plays this season and has not recorded an interception in the last two seasons. He has forced some fumbles, but the lack of big play ability has turned the 6-1, 226 pound linebacker into a one-dimensional player. Certainly he is a superb tackler who can get into the backfield and make plays, but he needs to prove that he can drop back and be more effective in pass coverage if he wants to be more than a third or fourth round selection.

12/20 Update: Wilson finally got back on track as far as making big plays. He picked off a pass and returned it for a 55-yard touchdown in the must win season finale against USF. As a result the Huskies are headed to the Fiesta Bowl to try and take on the explosive offense of Oklahoma. Wilson will have his hands full, but the All-Big East First-Team honoree can make a big statement if he can lead the Huskies defense to a respectable effort against the Sooners.

3/27 Update: Wilson has had an up and down off-season. He looked impressive during the Senior Bowl, but followed it up with an average NFL combine. Especially disappointing was his 40-yard-dash time, but Wilson got another shot at Connecticut's pro day. He shaved about .2 seconds off of his combine time and ran around the 4.55 range. That is much more impressive and some NFL teams have to rethink where they have Wilson on their big board. That 40 time alone could lean Wilson closer to the third round than the fifth.