Tennessee Titans: Shaun Calderon’s 2020 NFL Draft full breakdown

Round 1 Pick 29

Isaiah Wilson OT, Georgia

With the Tennessee Titans’ first round selection, they picked the massive offensive tackle out of the University of Georgia, Isaiah Wilson. The monstrous right tackle stands at 6’6 and weighs a whopping 350 pounds, the majority of that being muscle mass.

The tall, long and broad offensive tackle displays explosive movement skills that you wouldn’t expect from someone with his physique. Wilson will likely be a handful for pass rushers to get around at the next level and has more than enough power to move opponents against their will and generate vertical push in the run game.

The Georgia product also displays impressive range when trying to reach the second and third levels, and remains relatively consistent in connecting with moving targets in space. His punches are devastating, if he is able to get those hands on you, it’s game over for the opposition. Something that is going to be a sight to see when he gets his chance to open up holes for King Henry.

Wilson also showed steady improvements in pass protection during his tenure at Georgia and his blend of length and footwork is an exciting foundation for Mike Vrabel and company to build on. However, the Brooklyn native enters the league needing some real improvements on his fundamental technique, and that will be necessary in order for him to be dominant at the next level.

As explosive as he is with his hands, he isn’t nearly consistent enough with them at the moment. He has to develop better timing, placement and variance with his strikes if he is going to survive against some of the better defensive players in the NFL.

For someone as massive as he is, he tends to get outreached way too frequently for an offensive tackle with 35.5-inch arms which often causes him to lose any sort of leverage on the defender. He also isn’t very nimble on his feet due to tightness in his lower body which can present some challenges going forward.

He isn’t natural with his pivoting and ability to change direction which can be somewhat worrisome considering the types of defenders he will be blocking at the professional level. He also doesn’t help himself at times due to his tendency to narrow his base and rob himself of the natural power and balance that his massive frame gives him.

Fortunately, most of his deficiencies that show up from a technical standpoint are things that can definitely be sharpened up when he gets around NFL coaches on a full-time basis. He has a genuine cognitive understanding of the position combined with the hard-working mindset that it takes to be successful at the next level. Not to mention he has nearly every physical attribute that you would want from your offensive tackle.

With all that said, sharpening up the fundamental side of his game in order to utilize his rare physical gifts is vital for him to maximize his ceiling at the next level. There are some concerns with his hands and feet that I touched on earlier, but nothing about his game seems unfixable and his foundation of unteachable traits, far outweighs the fear of a few technical issues at the age of 21.

Wilson has an extremely high ceiling but patience and development will be needed in order to reach it. Luckily for him, he went to arguably the best situation for himself as he likely won’t be rushed into the starting lineup out the gate and can take some time to fine-tune his game.

The Titans signed Dennis Kelly to a multi-year extension that contains no guaranteed money after the 2020 season in which they could make the full-time switch to Wilson. And as much as we all believe in Kelly as a swing tackle that comes in occasionally, there is no viable evidence that proves he can do it over a 16+ game schedule. Having another legitimate option in Wilson will also give the team the comfort of knowing that their potent offense won’t fall apart should Kelly flop as a full-time starter.

Isaiah Wilson may not have been the sexy pick in the draft with so many skill players still on the board, but over time, the Georgia product may prove to be the perfect selection for what this Titans team is built to do.

There’s a ton of twitter GM’s trying to say how horrible that pick was because “they heard that so and so had them graded as a 2nd round tackle”. This may be true, but Jon Robinson clearly had him graded as a first round tackle and in reality when you look back at that guys track record, his opinion is the one that we should trust.

And if that’s not good enough for you, I suggest you actually put on some of his game tape and come up with your own valid opinion rather than just finding one that sounds good on the internet. Isaiah Wilson has the potential to give Tennessee another decade of bookend offensive tackle play and that is something that should satisfy and excite all Titans fans.