The Tennessee Titans decided to add their right tackle of the future in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday night by selecting Georgia offensive tackle, Isaiah Wilson.
The pick itself was a bit of a surprise, as many of the players Titans fans and media had been fawning over the past few months were on the board when the team went with Wilson at No. 29 overall.
Putting that aside, here are five things to help you get to know the newest Titan a bit better.
2-year starter at Georgia
After redshirting as a freshman in 2017, Wilson went on to play in 25 games over the next two years, starting in 24 of them.
In 2018, he was the co-winner of the team’s Offensive Most Improved Player award and was named to the Football Writers Association of America Freshman All-America Team and 2018 Coaches Freshman All-SEC Team.
In 2019, Wilson garnered more recognition, as he was named to the Associated Press’ All-SEC Second-Team and was co-winner of the team’s Offensive “Up Front” Award. He also also made the Outland Trophy Watch List.
An athletic freak
Don’t be fooled by Wilson’s 6-foot-6, 350-pound frame, because this big man can move!
When he was in high school, Wilson actually took snaps at wildcat quarterback, as this video shared by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler shows.
A man that big shouldn’t be able to move like that. The good thing about that kind of athleticism is that Wilson is a good fit in the Titans’ zone-blocking scheme.
On top of his impressive athleticism, Wilson has top-notch strength and will be able to clear the road for Derrick Henry when he gets his opportunity to take the field for the Titans.
Let’s get physical
When asked what the best part about his game is, Wilson made it clear it’s his physicality.
In fact, the Titans’ new tackle said he enjoys “beating people up” and it’s his goal to “essentially break another man’s will” when on the football field, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
Wilson couldn’t have landed with a better team to do those things. The Titans’ run-first approach will help Wilson beat plenty of people up as he blocks for arguably the most physically imposing running back in the NFL, Derrick Henry.
Tennessee likes to punch people in the mouth first and ask questions later, and clearly Wilson is a fan of that approach.
Gone too soon?
While Wilson still made it as a first-round pick in this year’s draft, there is at least one expert out there who thought he could have benefited from another year in college.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper thinks Wilson could have been a top-15 pick if he stayed at Georgia and not entered the 2020 NFL Draft.
That makes two Georgia offensive tackles in Round 1 here, and there has been some buzz around Wilson over the last few weeks. At 6-foot-6, 350 pounds, Wilson is massive, but he’s going to need some time to clean up his technique before he can start in the NFL. I actually thought he could have been a top-15 pick if he had returned to school for another year and entered the 2021 draft. There is some upside with Wilson, who started at right tackle over the last two seasons, but he’s raw. Yes, Tennessee has a hole at right tackle with Jack Conklin gone, but I don’t see Wilson as an immediate starter.
So, there’s some good and bad to this notion that Wilson should have stayed in college in order to improve his eventual draft position.
It means the Titans are getting someone who is raw and needs work, but Kiper’s evaluation also lends to the idea that the team is getting tremendous upside with Wilson.
It appears that if Wilson can reach his full potential, the Titans may have gotten a steal late in the first round.
A big personality
When asked how he would mesh with the big personalities on the team — like Taylor Lewan for instance — Wilson didn’t see that being a problem and revealed that he calls himself “Panda” and has his own big personality.
As far as Titans general manager Jon Robinson saying Wilson’s chuckle reminds him of Andre the Giant, I haven’t heard it yet, but I will say when you hear Wilson speak, he does sound similar to the professional wrestling legend.
It looks like the Titans’ offensive line will eventually be book-ended by two characters, although I find it hard to believe Wilson will be able to match what Lewan brings to the table.
