FOXBORO — The Patriots knew they would open this season with at least one rookie starter on the offensive line.
A week into training camp, it now looks like they could have two.
In addition to fourth overall draft pick Will Campbell, who’s a lock to start at left tackle if he stays healthy this summer, third-round pick Jared Wilson has emerged as the early front-runner to start at left guard, leapfrogging third-year pro Cole Strange.
Teammates on both sides of the ball raved about Wilson’s camp performance thus far after Wednesday’s practice.
“Jared’s a great athlete, and he plays all three (positions) in the middle,” second-year O-lineman Caedan Wallace said. “He knows everything. … Jared’s really, really (expletive) good, so I love asking him questions. He always has a different perspective from the vet guys in the room.”
Wilson had limited starting experience during his college career at Georgia (he took over as the Bulldogs’ No. 1 center last season after three years as an interior reserve), and he was limited during organized team activities and minicamp this spring.
But it didn’t take Wilson long to turn heads in his first NFL training camp. During a 1-on-1 period Tuesday, the 6-foot-3, 310-pounder won all three of his reps against the Patriots’ top two defensive tackles, besting Milton Williams once and Christian Barmore twice.
“He’s going to be a solid player,” Williams said Wednesday. “He’s going to be a solid player. He got a good coach, you know? He got a good player in (right guard) Mike Onwenu. He got a good vet in his room that he’s learning from. He’s good. He’s got good balance for a young player like that. The future is bright for him.”
Head coach Mike Vrabel praised Wilson for his attentiveness.
“I think that he’s a quick learner,” Vrabel said last Friday. “He’s been able to learn two positions inside, as far as center and guard. I would say he was one of those players that maybe wasn’t out there as much on the field in the spring, but really was able to grasp it mentally and allow that to carry over when he had an opportunity to be on the field. So he was able to show, for a young player, some of those things to be ready when he got his opportunity to be on the field.”
Left guard was one of the Patriots’ most intriguing position battles entering camp, and Wilson seems to have a leg up on Strange as the preseason approaches. Notably, Vrabel and his staff chose to deploy Wilson there on Wednesday rather than having him fill in at center for projected starter Garrett Bradbury, who missed practice after suffering an injury late in Tuesday’s session. Ben Brown, who had been third string behind Bradbury and Wilson, slotted in with the top unit between Wilson and Onwenu.
“For a rookie, (Wilson is) just really good,” said Wallace, who switched from tackle to guard this spring. “The way he moves, the way he protects in the pass game and the way gets off the ball in the run game is admirable. … (And) he’s smart. Coming in as a rookie, learning all three interior positions, it’s pretty impressive.”
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