Jared Wilson, IOL, Georgia
Size:
Height: 6030
Weight: 310
Arm: 32 ⅜”
Hand: 10 ¾”
Accomplishments:
Three-star recruit
“Jared Wilson possesses every desirable quality of a high-end starting-caliber center in the NFL. His combination of skills is rare.”
Strengths:
Elite athlete
Plays through his hands
Fights pressure with pressure well
Wide range of speeds he can play at
Plays with great leverage
Concerns:
Second-level anticipation can improve
Size limits him to the center position
Doesn’t have elite mass/strength
Film Analysis:
Jared Wilson, a North Carolina native, opted to sign with the Georgia Bulldogs in 2021 as a three-star recruit. Since arriving in Athens, Wilson has developed and earned the role of the full-time starting center for the Bulldogs in his redshirt junior season, after seeing increased action every previous season.
Wilson has several separating factors that make him one of the best center prospects in this draft. At 6-foot-3, Wilson is consistently challenged with bigger defensive linemen. His size limits his projection to other positions in the NFL. Despite this, Wilson plays big and thrives against larger opponents.
He does this firstly by playing below everyone. He’s very consistent in the structure of his blocks—knee bend and low hips allow him to win the leverage battle with just his center of gravity. His size becomes an advantage against taller linemen who cannot play at his level. He combines his natural leverage with really impressive hands. Not only is he confident in his strikes, but he’s also very consistent in fitting his hands tight to the defender, preventing them from getting into his chest. He plays long and doesn’t allow defenders to get into his body.
In this Georgia offense, which prides itself on its vertical running schemes, Wilson knows when and where to be thick on defenders, but also has the quickness and speed to work in the open field against linebackers. I especially appreciated Wilson's understanding and comfort with the speed of the game. He knows when to speed up and slow down his blocks in relation to defenders. Wilson rarely allows his process to be sped up by blitzes or front-line movement.
At the NFL level, anticipation is key. As Wilson logs more snaps, I’d love to see that aspect of his game improve, especially at the second level. There are times when Wilson miscalculates linebacker movement, which puts him in adverse positions. Adjusting to the varying speeds and angles of linebackers will go a long way in weaponizing Wilson as a multi-level blocker.
In protection, Wilson is everything you want from a center. He understands the importance of body presence when he’s working in a protection slide, but also has disciplined eyes to diagnose pressures. His grip strength is incredible. When he latches onto opponents, there is simply nothing they can do to shake him. He matches this with a knack for fighting pressure with pressure. When he’s fitted up with a defender, he does a great job of applying pressure at the same angle the rusher is coming from—keeping them in front of his body and away from a soft edge.
All in all, there’s not much, if anything, that Wilson lacks in his projection to a starting center role in the NFL. He’s a coach's dream when you consider his combination of leverage, hands, and athleticism. Wilson will be a day-one starter and will immediately make a lasting impact in any offensive scheme in the league.
Prospect Projection: Day 2 — Winning Starter
Exposures: Clemson (2024), Kentucky (2024), Alabama (2024)
