Former Florida Gator Marco Wilson cut by Arizona Cardinals
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Former Florida Gators cornerback Marco Wilson has been cut by the Arizona Cardinals. Wilson was the fourth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2021, and he managed to hang around with the team for three seasons before he was finally cut loose on Thursday, Dec. 26. He played in 39 games in those three seasons. Wilson was a member of the Gators’ 2017 signing class, which ranked No. 10 in the country.
The fourth-round pick was productive when he played, tallying 149 tackles, 18 passes defended and three interceptions, with one returned for a touchdown. All three of Wilson’s interceptions came during the 2022 season.
As a Gator, Wilson finished his career with 36 games played, collecting 103 tackles with three interceptions. In his final season, Wilson appeared in 10 games, starting in nine of those. He collected 33 tackles. Wilson notched a season-high six tackles and recovered first career fumble on the road at Texas A&M.
As a freshman, Wilson joined Joe Haden (2007), Janoris Jenkins (2008) and Marcus Roberson (2011) as the only four true freshmen to start at cornerback on opening day in program history. Wilson started all 11 games throughout the season at cornerback. He totaled 34 tackles and a team-high 10 pass breakups. Those 10 breakups were the most by a true freshman in Florida’s history since Vernon Hargreaves recorded 11 in 2013.
Wilson still has elite measurables that could help him land on another NFL team in short order. Coming out of college, the following scouting report was provided on Marco Wilson by NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.
“Ingredients like size, speed, strength and athleticism are all present, but Wilson hasn’t been able to combine them and make a meal since early in his career. He clearly has the athletic talent and skill set to be a much better man defender than he showed in 2020. His size and strength are big advantages when it’s time to play the 50-50 balls, but he needs to do a more consistent job of crowding his targets and maintaining his positioning through the rep.
“There are times when the coverage pursuit simply looks too lackadaisical and not consistently competitive from game to game. Wilson’s run-support effort needs a lot of work, as teams will find and exploit it if he is on the field. He has the traits and athleticism of a Day 2 starter, but with the tape of a Day 3 backup with inside/outside versatility.”
![Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier celebrates with Florida Gators wide receiver Aidan Mizell (11) after a touchdown during the first half at the Orange and Blue spring football game at Steve Spurrier Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, FL on Saturday, April 13, 2024. [Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun]](https://on3static.com/cdn-cgi/image/height=215,width=393,quality=90,fit=cover,gravity=0.5x0.5/uploads/dev/assets/cms/2024/04/13155133/Untitled-design-65-2.png)
