Eric Wilson can do it all
Vikings linebacker developed versatility in high school and now it's paying off
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Eric Wilson is listed on the Minnesota Vikings’ roster as a linebacker but there’s about a dozen different jobs that could be attributed to him.
Last year he played 767 total snaps for the Vikings and lined up on defense as a D-lineman 70 times, played Sam, Mike or Will linebacker on 331 plays, slot corner 38 times, outside corner on three plays, free safety twice and played on kick coverage, kick return, punt coverage, punt return and field goal block (per Pro Football Focus).
The results: He ranked 25th of 100 linebackers who played at least 250 snaps by PFF and graded as a top 25 special teams player in the NFL.
Now the Vikings have a chance to use Wilson as a more than a fill-in player.
He can be a modern weapon in a league that is turning toward more passes to running backs and tight ends. Offenses — including the Vikings — are also using bigger personnel packages to create mismatches and more play-action to put linebackers in a bind.
Last year the NFL saw 18 quarterbacks use play-action on 25% or more of their drop backs. When PFF began tracking play-action in 2012, there were only seven QBs above 25%. It’s rare for any team to have three linebackers with the smarts to read route combinations in play-action and athleticism to drop back into the right coverage position. Now that Wilson has emerged, the Vikings have just that.
“There’s no two-down Mike linebacker anymore where you’re just running down to the A-gap and you’re taking on a fullback all the time,” co-defensive coordinator Adam Zimmer said.
Wilson’s ability to shift to any spot at any time might also open up the Vikings to use Barr in more unique pass rushing ways.
Over the last two years Wilson has transformed from an undrafted linebacker at the bottom of the depth chart to a solid special teamer to an important piece of the Vikings’ entire operation.
“E-Will is a beast, man, the guy is a mental beast,” said Pro Bowl linebacker Eric Kendricks. “He’s mentally capable of handling this game in all of its capacity. He’s a physical beast. As far as the weight room, he’s fast and he can hit anybody. And he has the football IQ. He does things with his instincts sometimes where he makes those reactions. He can do it all. And as far as special teams is concerned, he’s proven himself every year. He’s become a leader on this team, not by being vocal necessarily, but by doing the right things day in and day out.”
This year Wilson is beginning camp for the first time as a starting linebacker in the base package. When he made the team out of camp in 2017, he was assigned solely to a special teams job and saw a grand total of zero defensive snaps as a rookie.
Special teams coordinator Marwan Maalouf said Wilson’s playing time is well earned.
“The way he practices is so detailed, he makes great notes, I don’t have to worry about him as far as his assignments go,” Maalouf said. “He’s one of the guys who helps get everybody else aligned. When it comes to rushing punts, when it comes to punt protection, we can put him in a lot of different places…And yeah, he’s probably going to play 30, 40 snaps of defense so he’s gotta juggle all that. But the guy takes it in stride. He’s a student of the game and I can’t say enough good things about him.”
Wilson didn’t get his first start until Week 9 of 2018 when Anthony Barr, who has rarely been hurt during his career, suffered an injury and was forced to sit. Wilson played in back-to-back weeks, racking up 13 tackles, a sack and just 60 yards allowed into his coverage on 10 passes in his direction.
Seven weeks later, Kendricks went down and Wilson played in his place for the final two games of the year. He finished that stint with a sack, two QB hits and allowed only 51 yards on 11 targets.
In 2019 run-stuffing linebacker Ben Gedeon was lost to injury midway through the season and Wilson took over his third different linebacker job in two years without slowing down at all on special teams. He gave up just 6.3 yards per attempt on targets against in coverage and gave up just one yard in coverage 65 playoff snaps.
“He’s a very versatile, smart player,” Barr said. “He understands all three linebacker positions very well, he has the physical tools to perform at any of those three jobs. So he’s very invaluable for us with what he does. He’s extremely important and it doesn’t go unnoticed. I think he’s going to have an even larger role this year now that he has not only the confidence and ability but the trust and belief from the coaching staff as well.”
“He’s really become a student of the game,” Adam Zimmer said. “He asks great questions in the meeting room and he’s played almost every position for us. He’s that smart. His instincts have improved a lot. He can anticipate plays before they happen now because he’s gotten a lot more reps.”
Any time an undrafted free agent becomes a legitimate starting-caliber player — much less a quality, versatile one — it’s always surprising. The odds of even a highly sought-after UDFA making the team are incredibly low. One player per year lands on the 53 as an undrafted rookie at most. We tell the stories of Adam Thielen and Anthony Harris but forget about the dozens and dozens of guys who never saw a first or second-team rep.
Eric Wilson sacks Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. Photo Courtesy of the Minnesota Vikings
Watching from afar at Wilson’s old stomping grounds of Thurston High School in Redford, Michigan, coach Bob Snell was the least shocked person to see Wilson defy the percentages and come out as the one UDFA player to make it.
“When he became a free agent there wasn’t a doubt in my mind that he would make it,” said Snell. “In my mind, it wasn’t, ‘if this happens’ or ‘it’s borderline,’ there was no question in my mind that he was going to make it with the first team he went to.”
Snell is even less stunned to see that Wilson has become a versatile piece for the Vikings because that’s exactly what he’s been since high school.
“There were games on defense where he dominated not only the secondary — because we played him both at linebacker and as a strong safety so we would play him up in the box and play him back — he took away a lot of teams’ threats and really good athletes that he defended,” Snell said. “He was able to defend one-on-one and take them out of the game. There was so many different things that he did. He ran jet sweeps for us. There was a state playoff game where he got several big runs against a highly ranked playoff team that we upset and caught a touchdown pass.”
Snell recalled a game in which the opponent attempted short kickoffs in order to prevent returns and Wilson instead nearly ran three of them back for touchdown. Anything Thurston needed, Wilson did. By the end of his senior year, he was All-State, All-Conference, All-Metro and Team MVP.
“I think playing both sides of the ball in high school definitely helped me in terms of loving the game,” Wilson said. “I just love the game so much so I was willing to play both sides of the ball and basically not come off the field. I think that built some type of endurance in me, and playing how I play, always chasing the ball and always being there, it helped me make those plays.”
Of course, every NFL player was good in high school and lots of them played both sides of the ball because they were better athletes than everyone — and make no mistake, Wilson was the best athlete on the field at Thurston.
But Wilson’s story is about more than just a player who could do it all. It’s about the needle that has to be threaded in order to make it and how much intelligence and commitment to learning the game can set someone apart in the NFL.
“The intangibles were the things that set him apart as far as moving to that next level of the NFL,” Snell said. “He’s very, very intelligent. He was able to figure things out very quickly. He got very good grades in school and even on the field if we put something new in he picked it up right away.
“Add all those things up in addition to the fact that he was a great athlete and could do so many things on the field. You add in the work ethic, competitive nature, being a great teammate and having great composure and those are the things that really make up a lot of NFL players.”
Wilson is also aware of the things he needs to borrow from his successful teammates in order to continue expanding his game. He’s been studying the NFL’s most versatile superstar defensive player Harrison Smith’s approach to training camp for three years now.
“I’m still learning a lot of football,” Wilson said. “Harry has been so great for so long because he takes that beginners mentality and always really focuses in on his techniques and executes them in practice and in games. That’s inspiring. I take that upon myself to do the same thing.”
And if the Vikings need an emergency receiver, Wilson said he’ll be ready for that too.
“I think I could if they needed it,” Wilson said laughing.
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