From freshman Lake Travis QB to first-round pick, coaches still 'in awe' of Garrett Wilson

Long before wide receiver Garrett Wilson was taken by the New York Jets in the first round of the NFL draft on Thursday, he was an up-and-coming Lake Travis quarterback with a knack for making opponents look silly.

During a freshman scrimmage against Vandegrift in 2016, he accounted for 10 touchdowns. A do-it-all player, he passed for several touchdowns, ran for a few more, and mixed in some of his eye-grabbing acrobatic catches that have become his trademark.

Vandegrift coach Drew Sanders had seen enough.

"It got so bad, I yelled at the Lake Travis coaches, we get it, he's good," Sanders said. "Then I thought we were going to be in trouble for the next three years."

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No one had a better seat during Wilson's high school career that Cavaliers coach Hank Carter, who sat with Wilson and his parents — Kenneth and Candace Wilson — Thursday night in the shadows of the Las Vegas Strip. Carter's ticket to the show was made possible by an NFL program called "Thank You Coach."

"Garrett handled it all incredibly well," Carter said. "We were with a lot of his family and friends. He was so hospitable, shaking hands with other players who were getting their names called. I was pacing around but he is such a total pro. I've said this before, but a coach is not supposed to be in awe of one of his players, but I've been in awe of him for a long time."

Yes, it all started when Wilson was a Lake Travis freshman. He arrived at the spacious school with the idea he would be the next great Lake Travis quarterback. But the Cavaliers already had an established quarterback in Charlie Brewer and Carter was looking for another way to utilize his talent. Wilson was reluctantly switched to wide receiver and the rest is history.

"He has this athleticism and concentration to catch the football," Carter said. "It was something I had never seen before."

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The Jets, who ranked 20th in the NFL in passing yards in 2021, hope the Wilson-to-Wilson combination will unlock the offense.

Last year the Jets selected BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the second pick of the NFL draft. While he showed glimpses of greatness, the Jets did not surround him with much offensive firepower. Garrett Wilson said he's ready to become the next great Big Apple attraction.

"It’s a feeling of insane excitement,” Wilson told the New York Post late Thursday. “I’m really excited. I went up to New York probably a month-and-a-half ago for the first time ever, and here I am about to set some roots there. I’m really excited to be a part of the Jets.”

Wilson was a two-year starter for Ohio State who caught 70 passes for 1,058 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2021. He combined that with an excellent showing at the NFL combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds.

"He has the whole repertoire in terms of the route tree," Jets head coach Robert Saleh told the Associated Press. "He’s got great body control. You see him and he looks a little slight, but he’s actually very strong, plays the game very strong. He’s got great range. He’s got really good speed. He can win one-on-one. When you look at Buffalo, New England and Miami, they’re man-to-man coverage teams.”

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Saleh and Jets owner Christopher Johnson spoke to Wilson for several minutes before the pick was made official. Carter noted that the introduction was awkward because everyone in Wilson's camp was watching the draft on TV. They heard the roar of the crowd first because there was a five-second delay on television.

After the Jets made their pick, ESPN ran classic football footage of Lynn Swann making his own dazzling catches during a Hall of Fame career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. The network said Swann and Wilson are comparable because both own the ability to leap high and grab the football with ball-hawking grace.

As for Lake Travis, the Cavaliers added to their collection of NFL players. Quarterback Baker Mayfield (Cleveland), quarterback Garrett Gilbert (Las Vegas) and offensive tackle Brenden Jaimes (Los Angeles Chargers) are NFL vets. The University of Texas sent two more former Cavaliers to the NFL via free agency late Saturday night — tight end Cade Brewer (Seattle) and kicker Cameron Dicker (Los Angeles Rams).

Wilson said he is already looking forward to joining his new teammates in New York.

"I'm going to make sure I hold myself to that same standard at the next level," Wilson wrote on Twitter late Thursday.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Former Lake Travis wide receiver Garrett Wilson ready for NFL career