What Patriots Are Getting in Jared Wilson

It seems at least half of the exhaustive position-by-position draft class rankings had Jared Wilson the No. 1 center turning pro while the New England Patriots needed to find a dependable centerpiece for an offensive line receiving multiple upgrades and long-term answers to destructive weaknesses in the roster.

If a recruit’s offer list is an indication of how their college careers would shake out, it wouldn’t surprise anyone that the North Carolina product was the first center selected this week. 

Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Clemson, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, NC State, North Carolina, Ohio State, South Carolina, Syracuse, and others extended offers back in 2020. 

Beyond the center rankings, when all guards and centers were combined as a more broad interior offensive line category, Wilson was often ranked among the best of the best with teammate Tate Ratledge and first-round picks Tyler Booker and Grey Zabel.  

He’s built the way offensive coordinators want them to be, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound lineman who’s uniquely capable in climbing to the next level with excellent quickness, pad level, technique, and ability to close on blocks in space, and execute through the whistle. 

It was well-known to anyone paying close attention to Georgia’s offensive line play over the last two years. 

For everyone else, Nelson made his high-level mobility obvious to everyone when he clocked a low 4.8, topping some very talented tight ends, including Jackson Hawes from Georgia Tech. 

Beyond the 40-yard dash that caught a lot of attention is an impressive and advanced Football IQ, according to multiple insiders. 

At this stage of his career, Wilson is an excellent pass blocker given his elevated mobility, including fantastic lateral movement. And if the Patriots can generate steady progress within his run blocking skills, his long-term potential is very bright, no doubt. 

Those involved in New England’s offense had to remain patient throughout March. Most of the significant roster moves were free agents joining the front seven, like Milton Williams, Harold Landry, and Robert Spillane among others.

However, in the big picture, those developments led to the roster needs largely addressed on defense through free agency. In turn, New England was able to use the majority of the draft capital to address offensive coordinator Josh Daniels’s wish list.