Sports With Walter Moore

Wilson Invited To Seahawks Minicamp
 
 

Former Savannah State defensive back John Wilson didn’t hear his named called during April’s NFL Draft. Typically players who do not get drafted will hear from teams immediately following the draft and may end up signing a undrafted free agent contract. Neither of those happened to Wilson but he’ll still get a chance to make an NFL team.

Wilson has received a invitation to attend the Seattle Seahawks minicamp.

The Douglasville, Georgia native has good size, tipping the scales at 6-foot and 188 pounds.

Wilson played four seasons with SSU in a span of five years.

SSU head football coach Shawn Quinn said that Wilson has tremendous work ethic and that he received this opportunity because of his hard work and pushing himself to the maximum on and off the field to get the chance to make an NFL roster. “His work ethic is matched by his unbelievable positive energy. We talk about “Good Vibes Only” mindset and he brings a positive, high energy mojo to the practice field, the meeting rooms and the weight room. His hard work carried over to the classroom where he graduated and played his senior with his degree.”

 
 

Wilson came to Savannah State in 2015 as a walk-on out of New Manchester High School, weighing 175 pounds. He finished the season by playing in all 10 games and getting 33 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and one pass breakup. As a sophomore he played in eight games which resulted in 25 tackles, two pass break ups and one quarterback hurry.

He missed the 2017 season with a ACL injury but returned in 2018 for his junior year. Wilson had career-highs in tackles (39), interceptions (2) and bass breakups (4). He also had a pair of tackle for losses, one fumble recovery and one quarterback hurry.

In his final year in a Tiger uniform, Wilson played in eight contest, getting 35 tackles, four pass breakups, one sack and one fumble recovery. His play on the field paid off as he was picked to the all conference team.

Savannah State won seven games in Wilson’s senior year. His previous three seasons, the teams combined for only six victories.

With the pandemic still happening and nobody really knows when football will be back., Quinn thinks Wilson will stay mentally ready until he gets ready to report to mini-camp.

“Our theme here since day one has been “FIND-A-WAY” and the current times are a great example of that. No matter the circumstances you have to find the way to be prepared. John has always embraced the challenge and the work that goes with it so he will be ready to go and has been very resourceful to getting ready for mini-camp.”

Seattle has had some success with Savannah connections in the past.

Forty years ago in 1980, the Seahawks signed Tim Walker to a free agent contract out of Savannah State to play linebacker. Walker, who earned Kodak and Associated Press Small College All-American honors at SSU, made the Seattle roster but had his career cut short due to a neck injury.

The following year in 1981, the Seahwaks drafted Savannah native Edwin Bailey out of South Carolina State in the fifth round as the 114th overall pick. A college All-American, Bailey made the starting lineup as a offensive guard in his rookie season and played 11 seasons in Seattle. The Tompkins High graduate retired from the NFL in 1991.

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