Isaiah Wilson’s football future is up in the air.
The 2020 first-round pick of the Tennessee Titans played only four snaps as a rookie, and general manager Jon Robinson said Tuesday that next season is no guarantee.
Wilson, an offensive lineman taken 29th overall, was charged with DUI in September before the season opener, had two stints on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and was suspended for violating team rules.
“We did a lot of work on him leading up to the evaluation process,” Robinson said. “The player that was here in the fall in Nashville was not the player we evaluated. He’s going to have to make a determination if he wants to play pro football. That’s on him.”
Robinson said the team hasn’t spoken to Wilson since he was placed on the non-football injury list in December.
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A two-year starter at Georgia, Wilson was expected to be a starter at tackle. Jack Conklin left as a free agent last March.
Wilson signed a four-year deal worth $11.57 million with the Titans, including a signing bonus of $5.97 million.
But Wilson wasn’t the player the Titans thought they were getting based on Robinson and coach Mike Vrabel’s comments following the draft.
“He’s got excellent power to move the line of scrimmage in the run game, and he’s tough to get around in the pass game,” Robinson said April 23 following the selection in the first round. “I thought I saw some blocks at the highest level in the SEC where he gets up to level two, and he forces linebackers – if he gets his paws on him, they’re usually done for.”
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And Vrabel said, “(Georgia coach) Kirby Smart couldn’t say enough great things about him. … I think he’ll fit in great.”
Robinson did say Tuesday that the team has had third-party contact with Wilson.
“We’ve tried to exhaust a lot of resources, trying to help him,” Robinson said. “But at the end of the day, he’s going to have to make a decision on if he wants to do things the way we want it done.”
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–Field Level Media