When Kirby Smart was hired, he made it a point to emphasize how the Bulldogs needed to get bigger and stronger along the lines of scrimmage. Enter Sam Pittman as the offensive line coach and two pillars from the first full recruiting class: Isaiah Wilson and Andrew Thomas.
Today, we're going to focus on Wilson, the former five-star recruit who redshirted as a freshman, re-shaped his body and then took the starting right tackle job for the past two seasons.
What do the Mock Drafts say? - Patrick Garbin
Considering the six mock drafts, Wilson’s selection ranges from as high as 29th overall to as low as 48th, with the average of the six at No. 38 or an upper second-round pick. Notably, half of the six mock drafts project Wilson as either a first-round pick or the first pick of the second round.
Entering this draft, there have been only five former Georgia offensive linemen who were first-round selections, including just one in the last 16 years (Isaiah Wynn, 2018). In addition, with the likely selection of Wilson and fellow offensive line teammates Andrew Thomas and Solomon Kindley in the 2020 draft, the Bulldogs could very well have three offensive linemen selected in the first three rounds of this year’s draft after having only two (Wynn and Cordy Glenn in 2012) chosen in rounds one through three in the previous 16 drafts (2004-2019). – Garbin
What does PFF say?
Big Board Rank = 111
Positional Rank = 12
Career Overall Grade = 79.8
In his two years as a starter, Wilson logged 1,576 snaps, including 758 pass-blocking snaps. In those snaps, he allowed 24 total quarterback pressures, including just two sacks. In true pass sets (no play-action or RPO), his 77.8 grade was well above the average for the draft class.
The biggest things to note from year one as a starter to year two: pass blocking and penalties. While Wilson's run-blocking grade was basically the same each season, his pass blocking grade of 84.6 was a big step up from one year to the next. In addition, he drastically cut down on penalties. After leading the offense in penalties in 2018 with five, Wilson committed just a single penalty in 2019 - and that was in the first game against Vanderbilt.
