Published Mar 31, 2020
Jay Jay Wilson hoping versatility leads to pro opportunity
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Nathan King  •  AuburnSports
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As scouts and NFL personnel set up the broad-jump ladder on the green turf inside Auburn's practice facility, Jay Jay Wilson began to feel the butterflies.

He had done a mock pro day in his own time, measuring out his expected numbers for numerous drills.

But never in front of this many people.

He leaped, and the best result of two jumps was recorded — 9 feet, 1 inch, which was "way worse" than Wilson had done by himself.

"I did horrible on the broad jump," Wilson said. "I guess the jitters got to me."

But as Auburn's 2020 Pro Day moved along, Wilson grew comfortable the more he talked to his Auburn teammates and coaches, and the more he realized that he could stand out from the crowd with his athleticism and versatility.

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Wilson, who played wideout and tight end at Auburn but has experience at nearly every position on the gridiron over his football career, weighed in at 240. He felt slim — 9 pounds down from the fall — and scouts were impressed with the way he moved with his 6-foot-3 frame.

Wilson said a handful of different NFL personnel approached him and applauded him for his route-running.

"Very confident," Wilson said of how sure he is that there's a spot for him in the NFL. "I put my life into this sport. I respect the game and I give back to the game. As long as you respect the game, the game is going to give back to you."

A 4-star safety prospect out of California when he signed with Arizona State in 2015, Wilson spent his first season with the Sun Devils on defense, then moved to offense and had three receiving touchdowns as a H-back, then moved back to defense as a linebacker and had 47 tackles, two sacks and a pick-six.

"All I know is it's a good thing," Wilson said. "All I know is I can play all three sides of the ball. I can be on every special teams. I can play linebacker. I can play defensive end. I doubt they'd want me to play safety but I've played safety before. Whatever they need me to play, I'm happy to do it."

Wilson, who came to Auburn in large part due to his connection with former Auburn offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham, once an Arizona State grad assistant, was looked at by Gus Malzahn as a depth-builder at H-back after the graduation of Chandler Cox at that position.

However, as injuries at wide receiver ravaged the Tigers in fall camp, Wilson was asked to help there. And he found his niche out wide for Auburn last year, contributing 14 catches for 133 yards and a score.

But Auburn did more for Wilson than just allowing him to catch passes from Bo Nix.

"I'd say it was life-changing because it helped me grow up in the sense of my mental state," Wilson said of his one year at Auburn.

Wilson is a first generation college student. While he and his family beam with pride over that, it was tough to adjust to living on his own at first, let alone moving to a place like Auburn where he didn't know any of his teammates.

Wilson said he often wanted to reach out to someone for advice in his family, like he had for all of his life, but he would quickly realize that he was the first in his family to encounter such a situation in college.

"I kind of was up and down at [Arizona State]," Wilson said. "I kind of had a plan. I sat down with myself and wanted to make sure that everything I did wrong, or everything I felt like I could have done better at ASU, I wanted to make sure I did that right here."

Wilson said someone asked him toward the end of the 2019 season if playing football at Auburn was everything he wanted it to be. He said it wasn't what he envisioned or what he wanted it to be when he arrived. That wasn't a bad thing, however.

"It was more than what I deserved," he said. "... I felt like in a sense I didn't deserve it because of my actions before I got here. I got a second chance. So I thanked God, and I didn't want to let Him down or let my family down."

Wilson hasn't yet, and likely won't be appearing on any mock drafts or big boards ahead of the NFL Draft in late April. That isn't thwarting any of his confidence, though, as he'll continue to flaunt his jack-of-all-trades skillset to any pro team that wants to take a chance on him.

"... I'm excited," Wilson said of his future. "Whether that's linebacker, tight end, special teams, this isn't the last time you're going to hear my name or see me on the big screen."

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