INDIANAPOLIS — Former Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson is an impressive 2020 NFL Draft prospect in his own right. However, the Associated Press All-SEC second-teamer isn’t a product singularly of his own talent. The 6-7, 340-pounder enjoys watching the style and technique of other dominant tackles in the NFL and hopes to add aspects of their game to his.
“It’s fun to watch all the big ballers, all the big athletic guys,” Wilson told reporters at the NFL Scouting Combine on Feb. 26. “I definitely look up to people like that.”
Here are the five offensive tackles in the NFL today that Wilson watches.
1. Las Vegas Raiders LT Trent Brown
“I studied Trent Brown a lot because I want to be like him,” Wilson said. “The punch he has, it’s a vicious punch.”
Brown scored a lucrative four-year, $66 million contract with the Raiders in the 2019 offseason, the product of his Super Bowl season with the New England Patriots in 2019. Brown didn’t finish the season as he succumbed to injuries in December, but he did earn his first career Pro Bowl selection.
2. Dallas Cowboys LT Tyron Smith
“He’s a monster out there; fast athletic strong,” said Simmons.
Smith has earned seven consecutive Pro Bowl selections since 2013 along with two All-Pro honors in 2014 and 2016. While Smith has only played a tops of 13 games every year since 2016, he still remains one of the more dominant left tackles in the game and has a big influence on quarterback Dak Prescott’s production.
3. Former Cleveland Browns LT Joe Thomas
Wilson watched Thomas when he was growing up.
“I always tried to emulate him and the athletic kick that he had,” said Wilson. “That was special. I’d like to know how he does it.”
The former 2007 first-round pick played all 11 of his seasons with the Browns, never wavering on them, and earned 10 Pro Bowl selections and seven All-Pros in the process.
“I’m going to have to ask him [about the athletic kick] if I ever meet him,” Wilson said.
4. Baltimore Ravens LT Ronnie Stanley
“It’s special to watch Ronnie Stanley,” said Wilson.
The former 2016 first-round pick from Notre Dame earned his first Pro Bowl selection and All-Pro honor in 2019. Stanley has proved to be a reliable blindside protector for quarterback Lamar Jackson. However, he is just one of the talented bookends on the Ravens’ offensive line, and Wilson is watching the other one, too.
5. Baltimore Ravens RT Orlando Brown
Wilson simply said that, “It’s fun to watch Orlando Brown’s [game].”
The 6-8, 335-pound right tackle blossomed in his second season after the Ravens drafted him in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Brown earned a Pro Bowl selection and was part of keeping quarterback Lamar Jackson upright and opened up running lanes for the athletic field general along with running backs Gus Edwards and Mark Ingram.
Wilson has been watching the most talented offensive tackles in the game for the past 15 seasons. Whichever NFL team drafts him is hoping he can be just as dominant as the players he has been studying.
