Tyree Wilson has no ties to the Cardinals, other than a couple of mock drafts that put the Texas Tech edge rusher with the team in April.

Ask Wilson who he likes to emulate, however, and the name J.J. Watt comes up.

"He's got a great motor," Wilson said during the NFL Scouting combine. "He takes the game real serious. He's a successful pass rusher so I look up to him and try to model my game after his."

Maybe Wilson could get a chance to help replace Watt on the Cardinals' roster.

In a draft where the Cardinals, picking third, seem like a natural spot for Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson to end up, Wilson has been a popular fallback name. Coming off a final season in which he needed November foot surgery and only got 257 pass-rushing reps, Wilson still had eight sacks and 32 quarterback hurries.

At 6-foot-6 and 270 pounds, he prefers to play off the edge but said he can move inside too, with a crazy wingspan of 86 inches and athleticism to make it work.

He's not Anderson. But if the Cardinals were to trade back a spot or two, he could be the guy (the mocks have him third to the Cardinals when the Bears take Anderson at 1, but with all the quarterbacks in play, it seems unlikely both the Bears and Cardinals remain in their initial slots.)

"I do want to make sure that Tyree Wilson kind of gets in the mix," said NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah, after being the first to mock Wilson to the Cardinals (over Anderson, in that instance.) "I remember doing a similar thing last year trying to alert everybody (about) Travon Walker from Georgia, you know, like, 'Hey, just know who he is and be aware and don't be surprised.' That's kind of the same thing I'm doing here, same formula."

Walker ended up going No. 1 overall to the Jaguars. Wilson's ascent seems unlikely over Anderson, but it's possible, and after Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter's legal issues, there is a spot in the top 5 for Wilson.

There are no predictions from Wilson where he might go, nor does he have much to say about his possible landing spots.

"You see all the projections to different teams, but at the end of the day they aren't GMs and coaches," Wilson said. "They can't make the picks."

What Wilson did say is that he is almost healed from his foot injury, he plans to work out for teams both at Tech's pro day on March 29 and again in a private workout, and that he has confidence he can be a difference-maker in the NFL.

"I am a great worker and am passionate about football," Wilson said, adding that "I see things, 'weaknesses,' that I know I'm able to do. It's my time to prove to everybody I can do those things."