Replacing a center as competent and resourceful as David Andrews was always going to be tough, but the New England Patriots can accomplish the feat ahead of schedule, thanks to a rookie who just received a major endorsement from his college coach, as well as a prediction about an unlikely role in the NFL.
When the Patriots selected Jared Wilson in the third round of the 2025 NFL draft, they also invested in Georgia’s rich history of producing pro-ready centers. The man most responsible for that history, Bulldogs’ offensive line coach Stacy Searels, has raved about Wilson.
Searels told ESPN’s Mike Reiss, “I’ve had nine or 10 centers go and play in the NFL, and Jared is the most athletic of any of them. He has the tools to really be good.”
This shouldn’t be read as a biased take. Searels’ words carry extra weight because of his experience working with a favorite of new Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
That experience can help Wilson meet expectations as a rookie starter who would expand the playbook for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. Even if he initially does it at a position he wasn’t necessarily drafted to play.
Patriots Have Connections to Make Rookie a Steal
Vrabel probably saw something in Wilson he’d already seen in another NFL pivot. As Reiss explained, “former Tennessee Titans center Ben Jones is among those Searels has coached, and Jones was a key pillar for first-year Patriots coach Mike Vrabel from 2018 to 2022. Searles had also recruited former Patriots center David Andrews to Georgia but never coached him there after leaving for Texas in 2011. Jones and Andrews were among the smartest centers in the NFL — another key aspect of the position.”
Those connections can help Wilson get a leg up in any battle with veteran arrival Garrett Bradbury to anchor a new-look offensive line. Bradbury has his detractors, and the Pats can’t afford to take chances in front of second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
It’s why the Patriots need Wilson to do more once rookies report for training camp on Saturday, July 19. Certainly more than what Wilson has done so far this offseason, when he’s “mostly watched from the side,” per Reiss.
What Vrabel and O-line coach Doug Marrone need to see from the rookie with a rare off-field interest is Wilson overcoming a “tendency to fall off blocks too often,” identified by Emerald City Spectrum’s Corbin K. Smith.
One positive highlighted by Smith is Wilson being “light on his feet.” It’s a quality that might better serve McDaniels’ offense at a different position.
Jared Wilson Can Make Key Position Change for Patriots
Wilson can still be a steal during his debut season in the pros, but maybe not as a center. Instead, the 22-year-old could fit best at left guard, especially in light of another plug from Searels.
The coach declared to Reiss, “I do think as a pulling guard, he will be excellent. He can anchor, run in space, get moving, play with leverage, and he has big, strong hands [11 inches]. I think that’s so critical in offensive line play.”
This scheme fit makes sense because McDaniels often called counter runs that required guards pulling into space during his first two stints as OC. What the returning play-caller needs now are the right interior movers to make these pin-and-pull concepts work again.
McDaniels needn’t worry about right guard, where Mike Onwenu can be a force, but there’s uncertainty on the left side next to top draft pick Will Campbell. He’ll play tackle as Maye’s blindside protector, but there is no obvious candidate for the spot next to him, where a pair of linemen unfavored by coaches are battling for playing time.
Putting Wilson next to Campbell could give the Patriots an athletically gifted tandem capable of locking down one side of this season’s offensive front. That prospect is worth moving Wilson off the ball during camp, before eventually putting him back at center once the rest of the line is stronger.
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