Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson is buzzing at the opportunity to make his NFL debut on Monday morning NZT.
Wilson is tipped to make his league debut against the Washington Commanders after being named in Arizona’s 53-man roster.
The 23-year-old, who has Kiwi roots – his mum Ngaire was born and raised in Wellington and his Aunty and former Football Fern Maureen Jacobson still resides in the capital – is in line to take the field after being named No.1 in the Cardinals' depth chart at wide receiver.
That status effectively means Wilson is the go-to option for the Cardinals amongst their wide receivers and will be involved in most of their offensive plays.
Picked up 94th in this year's draft after a successful college career at Stanford University, Wilson said he’s realising he's on the verge of living out his NFL dream.
“This is a surreal moment, he said. "I can’t express how excited I am, how humbled I am to embrace the journey.
“I want to prove to the organisation they made a good pick, good investment."
When asked by 1News earlier this year after he was drafted whether he considered himself a Kiwi in the NFL, he replied: "most definitely, most definitely, for sure".
"Every time I start an interview, people ask me for my background. The first thing I say is my mum is born and raised in Wellington, New Zealand. I always start my story from my parents are from."
Wilson will add another chapter to that story on Monday in Washington.
Select NFL games can be watched live and free on TVNZ+
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