FAYETTEVILLE — Tyler Wilson did much more than work on improving his technique and strength over the winter.
Wilson, the first Arkansas quarterback to be selected first team All-SEC, worked overtime inthe film room in his quest to improve.
Wilson studied current NFL quarterbacks like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo, and he looked at clips of Brett Favre in his prime.
“You watch all the good ones,” Wilson said. “I evenpulled up old USC film and watched Mark Sanchez and Matt Leinart when they were playing really well.”
The film study focused on observing leadership skills, footwork, technique, comportment and even subtle traits.
“The thing I notice is they get the ball back so deep to the running backs,” Wilson said. “I think that is really important because it gives Knile [Davis] and some of those guys a chance to see the hole and make cuts that they wouldn’t make if you’re not getting the ball deep.
“On the naked game, they’re so explosive. They get around. They play really fast,I guess is what I’m getting at. That’s really what I’m working on, as well as the mental part of the game.”
Wilson, 6-3, 220 pounds, gave serious consideration to declaring early for the NFL Draft before deciding to return to an Arkansas program noted for its skilled receivers but one that is undergoing an overhaul at those positions with the departure of Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Jarius Wright.
Wilson said he is confident the young receivers waiting to step in have a chance to be big play makers, but he is not convinced they have to be game changers.
The return of Davis, who missed all of last season with an ankle injury, as well as Dennis Johnson and Ronnie Wingo, who split time in place of Davis, gives Arkansas a rock-solid backfield.
“It won’t be exactly like last year,” Wilson said. “We’re going to change it up a little bit. And if we have to charge the ball down the field, then that’s what we have to do.”
Arkansas threw the ball nearly 53 percent of the time last season on the way to an 11-2 record, with Wilson passing for 3,638 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Those numbers have him in heady company.
The Sporting News’ MattHayes rated Wilson the No. 1 college quarterback “not named Matt Barkley” last week, writing that he would have been a first-round draft pick had he declared early and that he possesses “all the measurables NFL teams crave.”
The Sporting News article quoted an unnamed NFL scout as saying of Wilson: “I love his moxie. I’ve seen him - over and over - stand tall in the pocket and just get drilled after delivering a strike. He has a big arm, and he has the right guy coaching him.
“There were a lot of people disappointed when he didn’tcome out [early]. I want to see him perform when they’re the hunted.”
Wilson was ranked No. 13 among potential 2012 Heisman Trophy winners by the Web site oddsshark.com.
Arkansas’ coaches would like to see Wilson continue his leadership arc, make quality checks at the line of scrimmage and cut down on negative plays, such as his turnovers against South Carolina and Mississippi State.
Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said the time Wilson spent in the film room over the winter was as important as the time he put in working on honing his physical skills.
“He put a lot of time into getting himself better in the meeting room and becoming a smarter football player,” Petrino said.
The end result of watcing so much video of NFL quarterbacks, Wilson said, was motivational as well as reassuring.
“I watched the best guys play, and that’s what is exciting,” he said. “You watch in that kind of environment and that kind of speed, and you see a lot of the same things that we’re coaching here. That’s what is exciting to me.
“You also learn to play at a really fast and intense level. That’s what I try to relay to myself and the rest of the guys. We’ve got to play fast. That’s kind of what I’ve been working on in the offseason.”
Sports, Pages 21 on 03/28/2012