Isaiah Wilson DUI: 3 big takeaways for Titans rookie
By Will Lomas
Trust no one
This was the worst offseason for NFL GMs, especially guys like Titans GM Jon Robinson who thrives off of seeing guys in person and evaluating their potential live.
Instead, those GMs had to rely on coaches and people close to the prospects and they hope that they are honest, and that is where the Titans were in trouble.
There are two figures that I think are to blame for instigating the Titans infatuation with Isaiah Wilson. One of these is fact and the other is just an assumption based on making leaps of common sense.
The first person responsible is former UGA OL coach and current Arkansas HC Sam Pittman. Today I went back and listened to an interview that Pittman did wit Nashville radio stations right after Isaiah Wilson was drafted and I found it…disingenuous.
How did Jon Robinson get snowed like this, here is Isaiah Wilson's OL Coach, Sam Pittman on 3HL https://t.co/IlOtEzOHFJ
— Ran GMC(arthon) (@jlomas72) September 12, 2020
“Tough, coachable player”
“Ben Jones called to ask me if he was a hard worker and how he would fit”
“He’s a guy that the room and the fans are gonna like”
He raved about how coachable Wilson was and brushed off questions about his (very bad) athletic testing and his weight issues in college. On top of that, he sold Wilson as someone that fans and other guys in the locker room were going to love, and right now that seems like a very bad guess he made.
The other connection is harder to find. On a recent live stream “Pooka” reminded Luke Worsham, Matias Wodner and myself that there is a thread that connects Jon Robinson to his worst two moves: Vic Beasley and Isaiah Wilson.
According to Spotrac, all three have the same agency CAA. Specifically here are the agents and who is assigned to them:
Todd France: Isaiah Wilson, Vic Beasley
Brian Ayrault: Jon Robinson, Vic Beasley
Ben Renzin: Isaiah Wilson
So there is a lot of cross over between these three. I am going to assume that a common agent is one of the people you would want to talk to about your potential 1st round pick.
It stands to reason that Robinson trusted the opinion of Todd France too much this offseason and it cost him twice. You have to wonder just how much Ayrault might have stood up for France and whether or not the GM was influenced at all by that.
With so much confusion this offseason, it looks like Robinson tried to reach out to people he trusted for their opinions on Wilson and was met with responses that ultimately led to him being on the Titans roster. I would make sure I took note of those names and deleted them from my contacts before the next offseason.