The New York Giants have been trying to find the right formula along the offensive line for years now. Free agents and subpar draft picks have been occupying major roles along the line, which has been one of the league’s worst performing the last few seasons.
Injuries have added to the frustration and the team has scrambled to find replacements to the point where they had to trade for and sign players that most teams were unwilling to touch.
Such is the case with Isaiah Wilson, a former first-round selection of the Tennessee Titans who washed out as a rookie last year and then did the same this past summer after bring traded to the Miami Dolphins.
The Giants stepped forward and signed the 6-foot-7, 330-pound Wilson to their practice squad on September 30, where he has been developing into a possible roster candidate.
The Giants signed Wilson based on his relationship with their 2020 first-round pick, tackle Andrew Thomas, a college teammate of Wilson’s at Georgia. Thomas believes Wilson is headed in the right direction after his rough batik to NFL life.
“I think Isaiah definitely has his head on straight,” Thomas told the New York Daily News. “He’s trying to learn. He’s trying to get the playbook. We’ve sat down and had a couple talks because a lot of our scheme at Georgia was pretty similar. So just translating the terms was the biggest thing for him, and he’s learning pretty well.”
The Giants are also looking to convert Wilson, a tackle at Georgia, to guard, which makes him a developmental project at the moment.
“Moving him inside, playing a little bit more guard, he played tackle in college, so we’ll see how he does with that,” Thomas said.
Head coach Joe Judge believes Wilson could reach his potential with the Giants at some point.
“I think we have long-term plans for this guy in terms of where we see this guy being able to help in the future,” Judge said recently of the 22 year-old Wilson. “However, in terms of this year, he’s made a lot of progress and if the situation arises and the opportunity comes up, we’re getting him ready to go ahead and help us.”