Russell Wilson wants NFL teams to view him like Drew Brees

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Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson has a standard comeback for those who think he’s too short for the NFL: Is Drew Brees too short?

Wilson, who measures in at 5 feet, 10 and 5/8 inches, knows that plenty of people question whether a quarterback that short can make it in pro football. But he says he plays the game a lot like Brees.

“We’re watching tons of film on Drew Brees,” Wilson said today on SportsCenter. “He’s my favorite player. Watching a guy like that, who’s this much taller than me [holding his thumb and forefinger half an inch apart], there’s not too much of a difference.”

Wilson said he models himself after Brees in “his leadership, his attention to detail, his consistency on a daily basis, and more than anything his competitive nature.”

Height hasn’t held Brees back, and Wilson says it won’t hold him back either.

“It hasn’t hindered me at all,” Wilson said. “I can make every single throw. I play tall in the pocket. I have a high, quick release. My height doesn’t define my skill set. . . . I play like I’m a 6-foot-2 or 6-foot-3 quarterback.”

45 responses to “Russell Wilson wants NFL teams to view him like Drew Brees

  1. A better comparison for Wilson is to liken himself to the Vikings and their fans…an entity that has come close to greatness but just can’t quite get it done…an E for effort kinda organization like this might be a good fit for this lil fella

  2. I’ll take Russel Wilson over Brandon Weeden, in fact I like Wilson as the third best QB in this draft. If the Redskins weren’t getting RG3 I was content with Wilson being our next QB and for a much cheaper price.

  3. First it was age,and now its height, soon Janorious Jenkins will also say he is misunderstood. Ok boys lets carry on.

  4. The reality is he is better outside of the pocket then he is in it. However, he’ll learn through experience to find passing lanes, and he has great athleticism, a winners attitude, and a very strong arm. It is not inconcievable that this kid becomes the next Drew Brees.

  5. I saw him last night on Gruden’s QB Camp show. The kid can throw a football. I’m curious as to where he lands. He is also a 3 rounder for the Rockies, but declined to play football. Best of luck to this kid.

  6. Russell Wilson is probably the most NFL ready QB…….at least mentally. This kids work ethic is unbelievable; he’s very intelligent and has a great feel for the game. He will succeed as a QB somewhere in the league.

  7. every short QB coming out of college now compares himself to brees, well then i compare myself to hugh hefner then, that being said i think the late steal for a QB will be kellen moore, the guy is accurate as they come, gets rid of the ball quick, and can read defenses, im not a boise fan at all just, im just a football fan & i was the guy being laughed at for wanting the 9ers to draft andy daalton last year

  8. One thing that Wilson has going for him is that the Wisconsin o line is probably as big/tall as your standard NFL line.

  9. Russell Wilson is a winner and has all the tools to succeed in the NFL…if he was 6’1″, he’d be a first round pick…I know the nfl bosses fall in love with numbers, but this kid started at qb from day one at nc state….graduated in three years…played minor league baseball as a third round pick….was a great shortstop and had a great bat…..tom o brien, the coach at nc state, told him he either could play football fulltime or leave….he left..

    we all saw what he did at whiskey last year in one season….kid is a star, and I think he will be a great backup for someone, and eventually a great future starter….

  10. Brees is an anomaly.

    The exception to the rule and a first ballot HOFer.

    He defies all common knowledge about pro qb’s that I don’t think we will see again for some time.

  11. I agree with the previous commenter about how it is getting funny how every “undersized” NFL QB now wants to be the next Drew Brees. Oh, so you want to be lousy for the team that drafted you, even getting replaced by DOUG FLUTIE one season, then miraculously figure out how to be an elite NFL QB your free agent year when the team drafts Philip Rivers?

    Honestly though, Russell Wilson will be a steal in the 4th or 5th round for someone. Oakland, Philadelphia, Miami, Jacksonville, Arizona, San Francisco, Kansas City, Chicago, and even New England or Dallas would all be wise to think about him in the middle rounds.

  12. Russell Wilson is an expert in a pure West Coast system like they had at NC State and the one they ran at Wisconsin — an O that’s eerily similar to the hybrid system from the Broncos of the mid-late 90s.

    I’m not sure if Wilson can start, but love his mentality that he wants to win with his arm first. I know he’ll compete like hell and he will get his shot down the line. He’d be perfect in a place like Green Bay or SF where they develop QBs in a really precise way while maximizing the players’ best attributes.

  13. first you gotta take a snap in the nfl first before being compared to an elite QB

  14. You want people to compare you to Drew Brees? Just go popping off saying stupid things about the bounty scandal like Drew…….Then people will surely be comaring the two of you.

  15. I’m rooting for this kid. I hope he gets his shot. Woe be the QB that gets injured with him as the back-up. Prepare to be Wally Pipp-ed. There is something to be said about the guys NOT born with a silver spoon in their mouths. If he was 6’3″ he would be a first round QB.

  16. @cali49er707 says:

    ————————————-

    Moore is a good player, but if I had my choice it would be Russell Wilson. Even if you consider them equal talent wise, Wilson still played good teams every week in front of huge crowds. Moore basically faced little sisters of the poor evry week.

  17. The closest thing to an elite quarterback at Wisconsin since I started attending games as a kid in 1969. Good luck, Russell, in your pursuit of a pro career.

  18. I wouldn’t bet against Wilson becoming a good NFL quarterback simply because he seems so determined. But he’s got a ways to go… the height will always be an issue, and you can’t just learn to throw between the tackles overnight. That’s going to take a LOT of work. Combine that with his tendency to rely on the hot route a bit too much (thanks, QB Camp) and he’s going to have some adjustments to make. If you can’t throw the ball over a blitzer to your hot read, and you’re constantly looking for the hot read, you’re gonna get killed. Great attitude, but I can’t call him NFL-ready at this point. But hey, I’m just a dude with a keyboard and internet access.

  19. @nowillrepeat says:Apr 17, 2012 12:40 PM

    Brees is an anomaly.

    The exception to the rule and a first ballot HOFer.

    He defies all common knowledge about pro qb’s that I don’t think we will see again for some time.
    =================================

    Ha! Really?

    And what are you going to repeat?

    Bountygate?

  20. “soon Janorious Jenkins will also say he is misunderstood”

    If I were his agent, I would be advising him to tell teams to consider him an unlicensed botanist.

  21. that being said i think the late steal for a QB will be kellen moore
    ——————————
    Wilson can play. Moore is not just short, he has no arm. Senior Bowl proved he cannot play as anything except a backup at the NFL level.

  22. therealhook says: Apr 17, 2012 1:03 PM

    If Bree’s is an anomaly, then what was Doug flutie?
    ———————————–
    A Canadian League star, and marginal NFL journeyman.

  23. Wilson threw over NFL-sized linemen just fine for the Badgers last year. He’s going to be a steal for someone.

  24. Heh, I like this new, “come out and declare how you want the NFL to view you” thing that these draft prospects are doing lately.

    This guy wants to be Drew Brees. That other guy wants teams to look at him like he’s 5 years younger. Janoris Jenkins wants teams to view him as a sperm bank.

    Hell, at this rate, I’m going to declare for the draft and ask NFL teams to view me as a cross between Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson, Patrick Willis, and Sebastian Janikowski.

  25. If only you were born in 1934 or your father didn’t prefer petite women, you could have been a star in this league.

  26. Playing the Devil’s advocate….
    First let start by saying …Good luck to Wilson and I’m rooting for you, I’m sucker for underdog!
    I wish Tebow would’ve gotten some of these encouragement or positive feedback from all of you who said that Wilson has heart and determination.
    Tebow didn’t have heart or determinations?
    What’s easier to coach, throw the ball a certain way or get a tab taller?
    Why the hate on Tebow?

  27. The NFL gets hung-up on measurables. Height, weight, 40 time, bench press. Dontari Poe will benefit form this this year, though his game performances were very ordinary. You’d think by now personnel people would pay closer attention to actual game performances. Who says Wilson can’t succeed? Why not?

  28. Just to add to the Russell Wilson Accolades, he mastered 2 offensive systems at NC State and Wisconsin, played in a pro style offense, and also was the most efficient and accurate QB in the NCAA last year above both Luck and Griffin. Voted team captain at NC State and at Wisconsin.

  29. He’s smart and a winner. A lot of teams are going to regret not drafting him.

  30. I wanna like Russell Wilson; but for those quarterbacks who “can’t make it” because of ability or lack of stature at 6 feet-plus I hope they have backup plans when it comes to playing positions.

    If Wilson could play RB or WR that would be kind of cool because we could at least see him on the field.

    He ran 4.55 in the 40 yard dash and under 7 seconds in the 3-cone drill.

  31. NFL Scouts and GMs are terrified of going against the accepted norm and recommending someone who doesn’t fit in their nice pretty box. It doesn’t help having self-proclaimed draft “experts” on TV and the internet blasting teams for not drafting the workout warriors or the “prototypical” QB with the cannon arm, but may have a 10 cent brain like Leaf, Jawalrus, Couch, Akili, etc. How about getting the guy who actually won and has the intangibles?

    I’m not saying the Kellen Moore or Russell Wilson will succeed in the league but more players like them who are not the protypical size ought to get a fair shake and be developed.

  32. I’m going to use Deion Sanders words, Come on man! your not Drew Brees! by far. I followed him through college into the pro’s. Bree’s is a special player, but he had to let his game speak for him in New Orleans after those fools in San Diego got rid of him for Rivers! how bout just be tight lipped and take the field and let your game speak for you! This is the NFL, it ain’t college any more! A lot of these first rounders come out with their ego’s blown up, only quickly to face reality that their not on that level. So stop talking and let your game speak for you!

  33. Ya Baby he’s a Seattle Seahawk now!!! Flyn & Wilson will make a great one two punch. Portis and Travaris Jackson can fight over the clipboard.

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