Acquisition of troubled Isaiah Wilson fits what the Dolphins have done under Brian Flores
The Miami Dolphins were the only team outside the AFC South to offer the Tennessee Titans a draft pick for offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson, according to an NFL source familiar with the agreed-upon trade.
So most of the NFL decided the 6-6, 350-pound offensive tackle was not worth even a seventh-round draft pick one year after the Titans drafted him in the first round of the 2020 draft as the 29th overall selection.
Think about that.
It’s sobering.
So, why?
Well, you might know that Wilson had a rough rookie year with the Titans.
He was on the COVID-19 list multiple times. He was arrested for DUI after he was “doing donuts” and hit a concrete wall on a Nashville street on Sept. 11.
Wilson had a blood alcohol level of .107 at the scene. The limit in Tennessee, as in Florida, is .08.
On Dec. 5, he was suspended for conduct detrimental to the team and fined $35,882. He was reinstated two days later and then promptly placed on the non-football illness list. He didn’t play again and club GM Jon Robinson said last week he and the player hadn’t spoken since.
So, not great.
But none of this sounds irredeemable. And it’s just like the Dolphins to be the team that makes the attempt to get the massive right tackle on track.
First, he’s only 22 years old. And it sounds like Wilson got sideways for a couple of reasons that are founded in maturity and mindset.
Reason One: Wilson was not only out of shape but often sick his first year. The conditioning issue wasn’t new because he had trouble with that in college. When he first arrived at Georgia as a recruit, Wilson struggled acclimating to the heat in Athens and that’s a major reason he redshirted.
Getting in shape is part of being a professional. So, yeah, maturity and mindset.
Reason Two: He clearly didn’t have guidance outside the Titans facility, when he was away from football. And due to both circumstances beyond his control, such as testing positive for COVID, as well as his own doing, such as partying at night and getting suspended, Wilson was away from the team a lot.
By the way, when he was with the club, I’m told Wilson didn’t make many friends in the locker room. The Titans have a veteran offensive line but no one successfully took the rookie under his proverbial wing and neither did Wilson apparently cozy up to a wiser veteran player to learn to be a professional.
Wilson simply didn’t fit in.
“Let’s be real,” Titans guard Roger Saffold told reporters in January, “being a young athlete, there are a lot of challenges that you go through. You can either handle it or you don’t know how to handle it.”
During practice Wilson didn’t exactly flash the promise he showed as a college prospect, either. I was told his body language in practice was bad. So, to no surprise Wison played only three offensive snaps all of 2020.
The Dolphins obviously believe the cause is not lost. And even if it is, they didn’t exactly give up a mint to find out. The club reportedly gave up a 2021 seventh-round pick and actually got back a 2022 seventh-rounder in the Wilson exchange.
Me? I’m trading away seventh-rounders all day long for guys with second-round potential if I believe I can get their minds right. The Dolphins want to try.
Wilson got a scholarship to the same ritzy high school in Brooklyn, New York, as coach Brian Flores attended. So the coach believes he can relate.
But here’s the thing: You should not expect anything to come of this.
If Wilson can be a backup to Robert Hunt at right tackle or even win the starting job from Hunt, great. But don’t expect it.
Let it play out.
Because the Dolphins have done this a lot now under Flores. The Dolphins under Flores make a reach for reclamation projects as a matter of policy.
In 2019 the club took fliers on quarterback Josh Rosen, defensive end Taco Charlton, running back Mark Walton, and defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche. All of these players were highly drafted but washed out with the teams that picked them because of attitude or leadership or other troubles.
In 2020 the club took a similar flier on receiver Antonio Callaway.
None of the attempts have worked for Miami.
The ironic thing is Flores says he wants players who are “smart, tough, physical ... who love football and it’s important to them.” He says he wants players that believe the team is more important than the individual.
And yet ... Miami shops on the Island of Misfit Toys a good bit.
This Wilson reclamation attempt is only the latest, and probably not the last while Flores is coach, that the Dolphins will make.
And, by the way, the more you study Wilson’s tape at Georgia, the more it suggests he’s worthy of the attempt.
First, he needs to get in shape. That’s been a problem. And it will be an issue with the Dolphins unless he’s right because it is hot and humid in South Florida during training camp.
Secondly, there will be work to do on technique. Wilson has to want to learn. He seemingly lost that desire at times in Tennessee.
If those things are addressed, the framework of a good NFL offensive tackle is there. Consider last year’s pre-draft scouting reports...
This from Dane Brugler at The Athletic:
While he creates movement with play strength and a mean streak, he doesn’t consistently win with his hands and his fundamentals have yet to catch up with his natural skill, leaving him laboring and leaning. Overall, Wilson is a work-in-progress as a technician with uneven college tape, but he has yet to play his best football, offering the functional movements and brute power of an eventual NFL starter.
This from Tony Pauline at the Pro Football Network:
Wilson is a traditional right tackle who can be an overwhelming force at the point of attack. He’s a dominant run blocker who holds his own in pass protection, but he’s not suited for a zone-blocking system.
Lance Zierlein at NFL.com graded Wilson as a certain first or second-year starter. Obviously stuff happened that got in the way of that. Here are the pros and cons from Zierlein:
The Pros
- Broad through chest and back with tapered waist
- Possesses elite size and body composition
- Hard to negotiate for work-around defenders
- Massive frame gets natural movement at point of attack
- Able to maul and seal the gap as base blocker
- Torque power to widen lanes with kick-out blocks
- Moldable traits for big step forward in pass protection
- Pass protection consistency improved during the year
- Long with strong inside jab to stall rush counters
- Above-average redirect footwork for his size
The Cons:
- Just two seasons of college football experience
- Lurches forward, diminishing balance as run blocker
- Needs better control and pace to keep blocks centered and sustained
- Struggles with backside cut-off blocks
- Needs to keep hands inside on base blocks
- Tight hips hinder range to meet edge rushers at the turn
- Sets with weight too far back in his stance
- Wide hands and narrow base diminish his anchor
- Footwork is very much a work in progress
This story was originally published March 9, 2021 at 1:15 PM.
