Isaiah Wilson isn’t your average practice-squadder. Wilson, who signed with the Giants Wednesday after working out for them earlier this week, was chosen with the 29th pick in last year’s NFL Draft. A former five-star high-school recruit and two-year starter at the University of Georgia, Wilson has never lacked for talent, though his maturity and work ethic have often been called into question.
The 6’6,” 350-pound tackle quickly wore out his welcome with the Titans, logging all of four snaps as a rookie while spending much of his debut season in coach Mike Vrabel’s doghouse. After a DUI arrest, two stints on the COVID list and a one-game suspension for violating team rules, Wilson was ultimately placed on Tennessee’s NFI (non-football injury) list, effectively ending his Titans tenure. “He needs to make a determination on whether he wants to do what it takes to play pro football,” GM Jon Robinson said of Wilson at the time.
The Dolphins later acquired Wilson for a seventh-round pick, though he wouldn’t be on the roster long, lasting just three days in Miami before being waived for blowing off workouts and showing up late to his physical.
Days after his release, the Brooklyn native was charged with felony fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer, speeding in a construction zone, reckless driving, reckless conduct, possession of less than one ounce of marijuana and use of drug-related objects stemming from an arrest in January. Videos Wilson posted of himself vaping and dancing shirtless on top of a car suggested football was the furthest thing from the 22-year-old’s mind.
Wilson, who also worked out for Indianapolis prior to joining the Giants, expressed regret for his behavior in a recent Instagram post, acknowledging his destructive tendencies while pleading for another NFL opportunity. “Before the fame and the glamour, I was just a kid trying to make history as the best player out of New York City. I was the hope for my hood,” wrote an apologetic Wilson. “As time went on and success came my way, I struggled deeply with trying to prove who I was to everyone counting on my wins. I lost myself. I lost my mental. I lost my ability to love. I lost it all. When I lost, seemingly everyone who once was in my corner was gone.”
Settling for a taxi-squad role on one of football’s worst teams likely isn’t the career arc Wilson had envisioned for himself, but it’s a foot in the door and a chance for redemption. Whether Wilson makes the most of his opportunity is up to him (we know Joe Judge's tolerance for nonsense is remarkably low), though New York could sure use the offensive line help. Only six teams—the Bears, Jets, Bengals, Titans, Dolphins and Browns—have permitted more sacks than the Giants this year.
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