6. Isaiah Wilson, Georgia
Height: 6’6″ Weight: 350
40-Yard Dash: 5.32 seconds
Bench Press: 26 reps
Vertical Jump: 29 inches
Broad Jump: 110 inches
3-Cone Drill: 8.26 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 5.07 seconds
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Alabama, Florida State and Michigan were hot on Wilson’s trail before he decided on Auburn, and he excelled after a redshirt season, picking up Freshman All-American and SEC All-Freshman nods. An ankle injury limited him to 10 starts in 2019, but he still made second-team Associated Press All-American. Perhaps most notably, Wilson’s love for SpongeBob SquarePants was listed by the New Yorker as the 37th reason to love New York back when Wilson was in high school.
“Because the No. 2 College-Football Recruit in the Country Is From Canarsie and Wears a SpongeBob Backpack,” it read.
“I studied Trent Brown a lot because I want to be like him,” Wilson said at the combine about his football influences. “The punch he has, it’s a vicious punch. Tyron Smith is another one. He’s a monster out there; fast, athletic, strong. I watched Joe Thomas when I was younger. I always tried to emulate him and the athletic kick that he had. That was special. I’d like to know how he does it. I’m gonna have to ask him if I ever meet him. It’s special to watch Ronnie Stanley, it’s fun to watch Orlando Brown. It’s fun to watch all the big ballers, all the big athletic guys. I definitely look up to people like that.”
Stat to Know: Over the last two seasons, running backs averaged 2.8 yards per carry before contact, and 7.6 yards per carry overall, when running to Wilson’s gap. Wilson also allowed just two sacks, five quarterback hits, and 17 quarterback hurries in 758 pass-blocking snaps over the last two seasons.
Strengths: Carries his weight in a proportional sense — doesn’t look out of place in any aspect of his play. As you’d expect from a player his size, Wilson can absolutely dominate in the run game with a fearsome drive block and the ability to wall defenders off to either side. Doesn’t present an ideal kick through the arc, but manages to make it work with a “catch-and-latch” style in which defenders move into his area and are enveloped. Outside linebacker-sized edge rushers risk looking like high-school backups as he throws them around. Can work in space better than you’d imagine.
Weaknesses: Works defenders through the arc more with girth and arms than consistent footwork. Can be fooled by defenders crossing his face. If he gives up speed around the pocket, it’s tough for him to recover. Needs to work on pad level to optimize his natural strength.
Conclusion: With just two seasons as a starter at the collegiate level, Wilson has some things he needs to perfect before he’ll be able to negate NFL-level edge-rushers as he did in the SEC. But the buzz around Wilson’s name is no fluke — any team looking for a career right tackle who can work with power and surprising agility might find Wilson to be their man in the middle rounds.
NFL Comparison: Trent Brown. We’ll go with Wilson’s own first comparison here. Selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft by the 49ers, the 6-foot-8, 355-pound Brown overcame concerns about his size/agility mix and lack of collegiate experience to become a solid player for the 49ers (2017), Patriots (2018), and Raiders (2019) in consecutive seasons.