Eric Wilson (linebacker, born 1994)

Eric André Wilson (born September 26, 1994) is an American football inside linebacker for the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Northwestern and Cincinnati, and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, and New Orleans Saints.

Not to be confused with Eric Wilson (linebacker, born 1962).

Eric Wilson
No. 45 – Green Bay Packers
Position:Inside linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1994-09-26) September 26, 1994
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school:Lee M. Thurston
(Redford, Michigan)
College:Northwestern (2012)
Cincinnati (2013–2016)
Undrafted:2017
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
  • First-team All-AAC (2016)
  • Second-team All-AAC (2015)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 7, 2023
Total tackles:315
Sacks:9.0
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:3
Pass deflections:9
Interceptions:4
Player stats at NFL.com · PFR

Early years

Wilson played high school football at Lee M. Thurston High School in Redford, Michigan. He recorded 64 tackles and four sacks in his senior year.[1] He played safety , linebacker, and wide receiver at Lee M. Thurston.[2] He also earned All-State, All-Conference, All-Metro and Team MVP honors while at Lee M. Thurston. He lettered three years in football, four years in track and one year in basketball and was a long jump State Champion.[1]

College career

Wilson redshirted for the Northwestern Wildcats of Northwestern University in 2012. He transferred to the University of Cincinnati in 2013, where he played for the Cincinnati Bearcats from 2013 to 2016. He sat out the 2013 season due to NCAA transfer rules.[1] He was named Second-team All-AAC in 2015 and First-team All-AAC in 2016. He played in 38 games, starting 24, during his college career. He graduated from Cincinnati in December 2016 with a degree in sports management.[3]

Professional career

Wilson was rated the 21st best outside linebacker in the 2017 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com. The website also predicted that he would be selected in the seventh round.[4] Lance Zierlein of NFL.com predicted that he would be drafted in the fifth or sixth round.[5]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		 230 lb
(104 kg)		 4.53 s1.54 s2.50 s4.31 s6.96 s391⁄210 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		25 reps
All values from Cincinnati Pro Day[4]

Minnesota Vikings

Wilson signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent on May 1, 2017.[6] Wilson made his first career sack in week 11 of the 2018 season against the Chicago Bears when he sacked quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in a 25–20 loss.

In week 3 of the 2019 season against the Oakland Raiders, Wilson recorded 2 sacks on Derek Carr in the 34–14 win.[7] In week 17 against the Chicago Bears, Wilson recorded a team high 12 tackles and sacked Trubisky once during the 21–19 loss.[8]

On March 16, 2020, the Vikings placed a second-round restricted free agent tender on Wilson. He signed the one-year contract on May 8, 2020.[9] In Week 2 against the Indianapolis Colts, Wilson recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Philip Rivers during the 28–11 loss.[10] In Week 5 against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Night Football, Wilson recorded a sack on Russell Wilson and intercepted a pass thrown by Wilson during the 27–26 loss.[11] In Week 8 against the Green Bay Packers, Wilson recovered a fumble forced by teammate D. J. Wonnum on Aaron Rodgers late in the fourth quarter to secure a 28–22 Vikings' win.[12]

Philadelphia Eagles

Wilson signed a one-year contract with the Philadelphia Eagles on April 14, 2021.[13][14] He was named the starting middle linebacker alongside T. J. Edwards. He started two of seven games played before being released on November 3, 2021.[15]

Houston Texans

On November 4, 2021, Wilson was claimed off waivers by the Houston Texans.[16]

New Orleans Saints

On May 16, 2022, Wilson signed with the New Orleans Saints.[17] He was released on August 30, 2022, and signed to the practice squad the next day.[18][19]

Green Bay Packers

On October 4, 2022, Wilson was signed by the Green Bay Packers off of the New Orleans Saints' practice squad.[20] On October 16, he blocked a punt by Braden Mann during a Week 6 loss to the New York Jets.[21] On March 25, 2023, Wilson re-signed with the Packers.[22]

NFL career statistics

Regular season
YearTeamGPGSTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
TotalSoloAstSckSFTYPDefIntYdsAvgLngTDsFFFR
2017MIN 1608530.0000000010
2018MIN 1644231112.0000000000
2019MIN 1666236263.0000000001
2020MIN 161512262603.0083237.716012
2021HOU 703210.0000000000
PHI 724318250.001177.07000
2022GB 13017981.0000000000
Total91272971631349.0094307.516023
Source: pro-football-reference.com

Postseason
YearTeamGPGSTacklesInterceptionsFumbles
TotalSoloAstSckSFTYPDefIntYdsAvgLngTDsFFFR
2017MIN 201010.0000000000
2019MIN 2213940.0000000000
Total4214950.0000000000
Source: pro-football-reference.com

References
  1. "Eric Wilson". gobearcats.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  2. Vaccher, Louie (July 23, 2013). "Looking at Wilsons transfer". northwestern.rivals.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. "Eric Wilson". vikings.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  4. "Eric Wilson". nfldraftscout.com. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  5. "Eric Wilson". National Football League. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 17, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  6. "Vikings Agree To Terms With 13 Rookie Free Agents". Vikings.com. May 1, 2017. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
  7. "NFL rushing leader Cook leads Vikes romp past Raiders 34–14". ESPN. September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 22, 2019.
  8. "Bears edge Vikings 21–19 on Piñeiro FG with 10 seconds left". ESPN. Associated Press. December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  9. Alper, Josh (May 8, 2020). "Eric Wilson signs Vikings RFA tender". NBCSports.com. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  10. "Minnesota Vikings at Indianapolis Colts – September 20th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
  11. "Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks – October 11th, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  12. "Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers – November 1st, 2020". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 3, 2020.
  13. Spadaro, Dave (April 7, 2021). "Jordan Howard, Eric Wilson highlight Nick Sirianni's desire for competition on roster". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
  14. "2021 NFL Transactions: Signings – April". National Football League. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
  15. "Eagles waive LB Eric Wilson". PhiladelphiaEagles.com. November 3, 2021.
  16. "Houston Texans Transactions (11-4-2021)". HoustonTexans.com. November 4, 2021.
  17. "New Orleans Saints announce roster moves". NewOrleansSaints.com. May 16, 2022.
  18. "New Orleans Saints make roster reductions to 53". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 30, 2022.
  19. "New Orleans Saints announce practice squad additions". NewOrleansSaints.com. August 31, 2022.
  20. "Packers sign LB Eric Wilson". packers.com. October 4, 2022. Retrieved October 4, 2022.
  21. "Eric Wilson surges through Jets' line to block punt". packers.com. October 16, 2022. Retrieved October 16, 2022.
  22. "Packers re-sign LB Eric Wilson". packers.com. March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 25, 2023.
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