There's a lot to like about Wisconsin's Russell Wilson. The senior quarterback threw for 33 touchdowns against 4 interceptions. He had a 72+ percent completion rate. Those are staggering numbers for any quarterback. However, the one thing against Wilson is his height. At 5-10, Wilson would immediately become the shortest active quarterback in the NFL.
Still there will be some to fight for Wilson. Mike Mayock says he's going to be a good NFL quarterback no matter his height and that Doug Flutie is a good comparison. Others will take him off of their draft boards entirely. It's a perplexing scenario for a team and it's something Todd McShay addresses from the Senior Bowl:
The most anticipated player was the last to be measured, and Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson checked in at just 5-foot-10¼. He was in very good shape and looked strong overall at 203 pounds, but the bottom line is that his height would make him the shortest quarterback on an NFL roster today.
That dubious distinction currently belongs to the Cleveland Browns' Seneca Wallace (5-11⅜ ), and the shortest starter in the NFL is the 6-foot Drew Brees. If Wilson were four inches taller we might be talking about him as a potential first-round pick given his intangibles and production. But at an inch-and-three-quarters shorter than Brees, there are now even more challenges to overcome as Wilson tries to make an NFL roster as a quarterback.