Georgia Bulldogs star labeled a possible surprise first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft by league insider Tom Pelissero
The NFL Draft always offers a few surprise selections in the later portions of the first round. The question is which players will be those shocking picks as the first night of draft action nears its end?Tom Pelissero–a prominent league insider–shared five of his picks to potentially be those surprise first round picks and one […]
The NFL Draft always offers a few surprise selections in the later portions of the first round. The question is which players will be those shocking picks as the first night of draft action nears its end?
Tom Pelissero–a prominent league insider–shared five of his picks to potentially be those surprise first round picks and one Georgia Bulldogs star actually made the list.
Jared Wilson, IOL Georgia
Georgia fans already know how good Jared Wilson was when he was with the Bulldogs, but for many draft experts it seems he's largely been a prospect worthy of maybe day two draft capital throughout much of the pre-draft process. So it was a bit of a shock to some when Pelissero listed Wilson as a potential first round pick (as you can find in his article below).
Pelissero isn't exactly an NFL Draft guru, but what he is extremely good at is gathering intel from around the league. When a plugged-in reporter like him mentions that a player may end up going much earlier than expected there's always some real smoke from league sources that suggests this is legitimate.
Jared Wilson being selected in the first round shouldn't be that shocking to Georgia fans or those most familiar with his game. He waited patiently for his time to shine for the Bulldogs, but when he finally put together a full starting season last fall he allowed exactly zero sacks and nearly no pressures on the year. He was the best true center in the nation last year without many playing even close to his level.
Then after putting up a ridiculous 2024 season Wilson posted a 98th percentile athletic profile at the NFL Combine, running a 4.84-second forty yard dash and jumping impressively in vert and broad. Another box checked.
Wilson can also play guard if an NFL wants him to, which is another plus for teams looking to target him in the first round. When I spoke with him at the NFL Combine he did confirm that some teams have been talking to him about playing more guard (as you can see in the video below).
Jared Wilson has met with several teams throughout the NFL Draft process officially. He met with the Bengals and Cowboys both at the NFL Combine, among a few other teams who obviously need interior line help. However, the most likely team to watch might be the Seattle Seahawks.
The Seahawks met privately with Wilson at the NFL Combine, then hosted him for a Top 30 visit here recently. They also have plenty of pick ammunition with multiple 2nd and 3rd round selections if they want to trade up to select him near the end of round one. The Texans, Commanders, and Eagles (Jurgens' contract expiring soon) could also be in play late in the first round as well given their needs.
We'll be back with more Georgia Bulldogs coverage here at A to Z Sports soon! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
And if you want to check out how dominant Jared Wilson was at center for Georgia you can watch some of his highlights in the video below.
