With the No. 10 selection in the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas on Thursday night, the Jets picked Ohio State wide receiver Garrett Wilson, giving second-year quarterback Zach Wilson another arrow in his quiver, which already includes Corey Davis, Elijah Moore, Braxton Berrios, C.J. Uzomah, Tyler Conklin and others.
"I look forward to playing with Zach," Wilson told reporters Thursday night in a video call. "He's got a lot of talent. A lot of arm talent. I'm looking forward to getting up there and working with him."
Wilson (6-0, 188) has elite speed (4.38 in the 40 at the Combine), a 36-inch vertical jump, good hands and is an impeccable route-runner. Some observers have said that Wilson reminds them of the Colts' former star WR Marvin Harrison. A three-sport star in high school, Wilson turned down a basketball scholarship offer to catch the oblong ball for the Buckeyes. His numbers improved year on year at Ohio State, culminating in 2021 with 70 catches, 1,058 yards (15.1 yards per catch) and 12 TDs.
He described his strength as an ability to nab 50/50 balls and "doing a good job making people miss me."
"You just have to have plan," Wilson said. "You're playing against good players and you have to go out there with a plan. You just can't expect to run around someone. You have to get on their shoulders and make then uncomfortable. There's a lot of nuances to running routes and I'm excited to keep learning."
Wilson, who Daniel Jeremiah of NFL Network rates the fourth-best player in the entire draft, is the 15th Buckeye selected by the Jets overall and the 13th since the 1967 start of the NFL common draft. They've done well with their first-round picks out of OSU, going with Ring of Honor FB Matt Snell in the 1964 AFL Draft, six-year LT starter Chris Ward fourth overall in '78 and of course C Nick Mangold 29th overall in 2006. Mangold went on to start all 164 games he played in and was named to seven Pro Bowls.
In three seasons in Columbus, Wilson appeared in 33 games (19 starts) and totaled 143 receptions, 2,213 yards (15.5 ypc) and 23 TDs.
"It comes down to what he does before and after the catch, getting open and creating separation," said Dane Brugler of The Athletic. "He does that well right now and you feel that he's going to get better as a route runner as he continues to develop. Not the biggest guy, but the way he plays through contact, the body control, so he can make contested catches, getting open before the catch to me, that's the biggest difference."
