NASHVILLE, Tenn. – At 6-foot-6 ½, Isaiah Wilson is just the third-tallest member of the Titans.
At 350 pounds, he’s the heaviest. By a full 25 pounds.
“He’s a tough guy to get out of the way of,” Jon Robinson said.
(Photo courtesy Georgia athletics.)
The Titans passed on several options at cornerback, their biggest position of need, as well as some pass rushers to grab Wilson at No,. 29 near the end of the first round.
Pegged to replace Jack Conklin in short order as the Titans’ right tackle, a guy who calls himself Panda and is a big fan of SpongeBob will add plenty to the offensive line’s personality and physical mindset. [Unlocked]
He said he believes the game is founded on great trench work.
.@_LayZay_: I enjoy beating people up, breaking another man's will. That's definitely my strong suit. Need to work on my technique, pad level, hands. #Titans
— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) April 24, 2020
His attitude is something that will help the Titans keep building on their identity, Mike Vrabel said.
“We want a team that is smart, tough, physical, we stress effort, we stress putting the team first, and you have to do that on the line of scrimmage,” Vrabel said. “You can never have enough good offensive and defensive linemen and guys you can develop and work with and guys you can develop and will compete.
“That’s who we are. That’s how we’re going to play and I think that’s what both of us believe in.”
Wilson said he was 5-foot-10 when he was 10, and he said he’s got only two main issues that with his size now: getting through doors and shopping in stores.
Vrabel said Wilson had to turn sideways to come through the door at Lucas Oil Stadium for a meeting with the Titans.
While they’ll have to see and evaluate him in-person to know for sure if they want him toi slim down at all, Vrabel said Wilson does not have a high body fat percentage given his weight.
His Georgia teammate Andrew Thomas, drafted fourth by the Giants, was asked about Wilson’s weight at the combine.
“Every time we ask him about his weight he always says 20 percent body fat,” Thomas said. “So we just let him do that. He’s a physical freak.”
At Poly Prep Country Day School in Brooklyn, N.Y. Wilson wrestled and played lacrosse, sports he said helped him develop skills he took to Georgia as he advanced his football career.
“I would say I was a mauler as a wrestler,” he said. “I got my hands inside, often, I could use them where I could control other large men. Lacrosse is a smaller person’s sport for the most part, a lot of kids you’re going against are 5-8, 5-10, shifty, quick, change-of-direction kind of guys. And you wear them out if you’re laterally quick, people who are giving you head fakes and other moves in close quarters.”
“It definitely translates to football with keeping your hands inside, being [aggressive] at the point of attack, and being able to mirror the opponent.”
Many analysts rate Wilson as intriguing given his size, long arms and smarts, but expect him to need some time to refine his game.
A player who's studied the likes of Trent Brown, Tyron Smith, Ronnie Stanley and two generations of Orlando Browns said as much himself Thursday night.
“I think I can stand to improve on my technique,” he said, “And I say that broadly just because I want to be the most polished player I possibly can. I think I have a lot of physical gifts and I put a lot of things on tape. And if I refine those things, and polish those things I can be a great player for this organization. That’s my goal.”