Jared Wilson is the latest Georgia Bulldog to be drafted, as the New England Patriots selected Wilson with the No. 95 selection. He was taken in the third round

Wilson is the third Georgia offensive lineman to be taken in this year’s draft. He is also the first center drafted. Tate Ratledge came off the board with the No. 57 pick to the Detroit Lions. Dylan Fairchild was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals with the No. 81 pick.

While Georgia has become an offensive line factory in recent years, Wilson is a developmental success story. He was a 3-star prospect in the 2021 recruiting cycle.

Wilson didn’t earn Georgia’s starting center job until the 2024 season. An ankle injury forced him to miss two games this past season, giving him just 12 career starts.

But Wilson’s best football is very much in front of him. And he’s got all the tools to be a capable offensive lineman at the next level.

“When you talk about athleticism at the center position, this guy runs faster than a lot of our defensive backs, believe it or not, our tight ends, our quarterbacks,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said of Wilson. “His numbers, extremely athletic, over 300 pounds, can get to the second level as quick as anybody. Just really athletic.”

Wilson backed up Smart’s praise by putting forth a dominant showing at the NFL combine. His 4.84 40-yard dash was the fastest of any offensive lineman in attendance.

This marks the second consecutive draft where Georgia’s center has been selected, as Sedrick Van Pran-Granger was taken in the fifth round by the Buffalo Bills last season.

Van Pran-Granger is a big reason why Wilson only had one year of starting experience at Georgia. The former was a three-year starter and an influential leader for Georgia.

But Smart feels that Van Pran-Granger passed a lot of his knowledge down to Wilson.

“He didn’t get the opportunity to do a lot of those things, but he is a really, really good athlete and even better person,” Smart said of Wilson. “He’s got a younger brother that’s going to be a really talented football player, as well. We just enjoyed his leadership, and I’m looking forward to the center being the leader of the group. Like Sed was, he’s kinda taken on a new role, and he’s doing it his way.”

The Patriots did sign Garrett Bradbury this offseason to play center. Former Georgia center David Andrews retired this offseason after 10 years with the team.

With the selection, Wilson becomes the 69th Georgia Bulldog to be taken since Smart became Georgia’s head coach back in 2016.

What Georgia center Jared Wilson brings to the NFL

Jared Wilson 2025 NFL Draft measureables