Every rookie has a “welcome to the NFL” moment, but Garrett Wilson didn’t find that in his first NFL preseason game.
“It was everything I expected,” Wilson said after the game. “We go at it hard every day at practice every single day with high competitions, so when we’re out here it feels a little slower than practice honestly. To get out there and play, it was good to get it off my shoulders. “
Wilson helped the Jets to a 24-21 preseason win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Friday night. Pro Football Focus gave Wilson the second-highest grade among first-round offensive rookies in Week 1 of the preseason with a 78.7. Although Wilson only saw action in the first half and it was a preseason game, he did not take it any less seriously than a regular-season game.
“You go into a different mode, at least personally I do,” Wilsons said on Monday. “It’s a violent game we play and you kind of have to be in that mode to get everything out of gamedays. I’ve been that way since I was a young kid, I don’t really like talking to anyone on gameday, I ‘m locked in, and then once we’re out there it’s the best day of my life and I never take that for granted.”
Even Head Coach Robert Saleh noticed the difference in Wilson’s demeanor on game day.
“I know Garrett’s a competitor and he’s intense,” Saleh told reporters after practice on Sunday. “He went up to a whole other level on gameday, which I thought was awesome.”