Before he was catching back-shoulder touchdowns in training camp as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, Tim Wilson was a three-sport star at Radnor High School. At Radnor, Wilson played football, basketball and was a state qualifier in track and field – running the 100m dash in 10.9 seconds.
After being named to the All-Central League team – where he gained over 2,000 yards as both a running back and receiver – the Wayne native opted to continue his playing career at East Stroudsburg University. Wilson closed out his college career with 133 receptions for 2,042 yards and 16 touchdowns. The 5-foot-9, 170 pound Wilson did a little bit of everything for the Warriors – including kick and punt return – and finished his East Stroudsburg career ranked tenth in school history in all-purpose yards. A second-team All-PSAC East selection following his junior and senior season, Wilson turned his attention to Temple’s pro day, where he hoped to garner interest from an NFL team.
That NFL team happened to be his hometown Philadelphia Eagles. The reigning Super Bowl champions decided to give the dual threat an opportunity on a tryout basis.
“It was about a month ago,” Wilson said back in May. “They gave me a call after that and I got the invite. I want to show them my speed and versatility. I play special teams, kick return, punt return. I’ll be on kickoff and kick return. I just want to fight for a spot.”
Wilson impressed the Eagles with his intangibles during rookie minicamp, which was held May 11-14. Of the 51 players in attendance for rookie minicamp, Wilson was one of 23 tryout players – and the only one to leave with a training camp invite. The Delco native spent some time in Plymouth Meeting over the summer, where he would go over the route tree and the different route concepts with former Eagles receiver Torrey Smith, who has family in Conshohocken.
With 12 receivers in camp, reps can be hard to come by – especially as an undrafted rookie free agent. Wilson has made each rep count, impressing teammates with his quickness, agility – and being a good teammate:
A tradition unlike any other. Eagles rookies (in this case WR Tim Wilson) pay their dues by carrying water ice into the locker room for the vets. pic.twitter.com/SsGGI3cUvO
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) August 2, 2018
While Wilson got his first taste of NFL action last Thursday against the Steelers, it was his standout open practice in front of 35,000 fans last Sunday that impressed the masses.
Wilson was a frequent target during the 20-minute 11-on-11 period, showing off his cat-like quickness and sturdy hands. At one point, he made a tremendous catch, hauling in a perfectly placed back-shoulder throw for a touchdown, with the talented D.J. Killings in coverage.
“I ran a corner route and I took the inside release, so I had to fight to get back outside,” Wilson explained after practice. “And when I fought to get back inside he was on my right shoulder. Since he was playing up so far, playing to the ball, I just pushed him off a little bit and got a little separation and used my hands.”
He appears to have an advocate in the second-year corner Killings:
“Credit to him,” Killings said. “He’s shifty, real fast, real quick and he competes. And that’s what I really like about him. I’ll put him up there with one of the quickest guys on the team. And he’s short, so he looks even quicker.”
As the Eagles get set to kick off in Foxborough tonight, they will be without Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins and Markus Wheaton. That means more reps for someone like Tim Wilson, and more reps means more film to evaluate.
And more film to evaluate could mean that No. 84 gets to continue living out his dream for at least a little while longer.
