http://www.indeonline.com/index.php?ID=9359&Category=2
Rookie Wilson shows off his hands
By JEFF SCHUDEL
Special to the Inde
After being picked by the Browns in the third round in April, Travis Wilson said he was the best wide receiver in the draft.
On Thursday afternoon, Wilson certainly looked like the best receiver on the Browns roster. As the saying goes, “If you can do it, it ain’t bragging.”
Wilson, 6-foot-1, 213 pounds, made the play of the day when he jumped to reach over the back of 6-foot tall cornerback Chris Thompson on a deep pass from Lang Campbell, tip the ball to himself, grab it and gain control before hitting the ground.
Later in practice, Wilson scored a touchdown on a slant from Ken Dorsey. He also split two defenders to catch a rope thrown by Derek Anderson.
“I thought that was a good effort play on his part,” Coach Romeo Crennel said of the jump ball Wilson won. “He got some opportunity and took advantage of it.
“He showed some aggressiveness for the ball, which is something he did in college. He’s a big receiver. He can go up and take the ball away from guys. I was glad to see that. I was encouraged by what I saw. If he continues to make plays like that, run the correct routes, block the correct people, then he can make some progress.”
Wide receiver could be a thin position for the Browns, but it also could be a crowded one. It depends on when Braylon Edwards is cleared for contact, whether Brandon Rideau can make the impression he did last season as an undrafted rookie and whether Wilson continues to progress. Joe Jurevicius and Dennis Northcutt are secure in their positions.
Edwards’ first practice since having knee surgery on Jan. 3 was last Saturday. So far, all he has been cleared to do is participate in individual drills. Unless something changes, Edwards will not play against the Eagles in the preseason opener Thursday.
Rideau, for some unexplainable reason, is lost. Veteran Frisman Jackson is ahead of him, Crennel said.
Wilson caught only 25 passes as a senior at Oklahoma last fall. As a junior he grabbed 50 passes for 660 yards and 11 touchdowns. A change of Sooner quarterbacks and a high ankle sprain accounted for his reception total being cut in half in 2005. Pro scouts, apparently, looked closer at what he did as a senior than as a junior.
Five receivers were drafted ahead of Wilson. Santonio Holmes, from Ohio State, was taken by the Steelers as the only receiver drafted in the first round. Chad Jackson (Patriots, University of Florida), Sinorice Moss (Giants, Miami, Fla.), Greg Jennings (Packers, Western Michigan) and Devin Hester (Bears, Miami, Fla.) were drafted in the second round. The Browns made Wilson the first receiver picked in the third round by using the 78th overall selection to get him.
When he came on his visit, I told him that I thought he would be one of the steals of the draft,” General Manager Phil Savage said after the Browns drafted Wilson. “I said I thought his stock had dropped and I thought he would be a second-rounded and someone was going to get a good player in him.
“When I called him in the third round, I told him that I thought he would be a steal, and that we were the ones stealing him.”
Wilson took that praise to heart. Not only did he refer to himself as the best receiver in the draft. He also held out. He signed last Saturday after missing three days of training camp and four practices.
Wilson got the usual grief for being the new guy and the late guy. Teammates teased him, saying, “The best receiver in the draft, huh?” when he dropped a pass in practice a couple days ago. He laughed off the ribbing.
“I feel anything you do you should feel you’re the best at it, otherwise you shouldn’t be doing it,” Wilson said.
“I meant no disrespect to any other players. I feel I’m the best at what I do. It pushes me every day to live up to that.”
sleeper ?
