As Marco Wilson’s shoe flew across the turf at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on December 12, the senior cornerback’s NFL prospects looked hazier than the dense fog hovering over Gainesville.

But Wilson enjoyed a much clearer view Sunday, realizing his dream of playing in the NFL when the Arizona Cardinals selected him 136th overall.

The 6-foot-1 corner was slotted into the starting lineup from day one in Gainesville. After recouping from an ACL injury in 2018, Wilson played the best football of his career his junior season with three interceptions and 36 total tackles

2020 plagued the whole Florida defense, and Wilson neared the end of a dreadful final season at UF with zero interceptions, zero tackles for loss, and seven fewer tackles than his junior season. He wrapped up his senior night with a decisive penalty that doomed UF to an upset loss against LSU and drew the immortal ire of Gator nation.

Florida’s pro day provided Wilson with a final showcase, however, and the Fort Lauderdale native grabbed the opportunity with both hands. He impressed in nearly every event, but Wilson’s standout performances came through a supersonic 4.37-second 40, a 136-inch broad jump, and a 4.25 short shuttle time.

These superhuman metrics vaulted Wilson back into the NFL Draft conversation, and the senior was ultimately selected comfortably in the fourth/fifth/sith round.

Wilson will need to improve his physicality and ball-tracking in order to succeed in the NFL, but his quick changes in direction and blazing speed make him a capable NFL athlete.

The Gators have now supplied three cornerbacks in the last years to the NFL, with C.J. Henderson’s selection in the 2020 draft and Duke Dawson in the 2018 edition.