What Mack Wilson did last week at the Cleveland Browns training camp was nothing new for Alabama folks.

Wilson dove in front of a pass, picked it off, somersaulted, planted his feet and took off running in the other direction for a score.

“That took me back to my sophomore year when we played Florida State in the first game of the season (2017),” Wilson said of the play. “It kind of felt the same way. Of course in the NFL you can get back up and run so I braced myself so I could get into a running stance and tried to run it back.”

He made another pick-six a few days later. Then, in his first NFL preseason game, Wilson returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown against the Washington Redskins. Later in the game he snagged another pick, but wasn’t able to return it. Still, he has three pick-sixes in four days.

 

“I’m not surprised when I do things like that but I know there is always room for improvement. I have to come out the next day and try to do the same thing. It’s always about being consistent at this level.”

If the rookie linebacker continues to make those type plays, the former Crimson Tide player could find his way into the rotation.

“Everybody got a taste of what I can do while I was at Alabama,” he said. “But this is a whole different level and I feel like my game can only get better being around pro athletes and being pushed by my coaches.

“Everything is starting to slow down as the days go by because of just getting familiar with the plays and being comfortable being around the rest of the guys.”

He was projected as a second- to third-round pick for the draft but slid to the 155th overall player taken (fifth round) and signed a four-year deal worth $2.83 million with a base salary of $495,000 this year.

Had he chosen to come back his senior year at Alabama, he stood to make a substantial amount more if he were a first- or second-round pick.

Wilson is hoping to buck the trend of lower draft picks flaming out in the league after just two or three years. He’s made progress in camp and has caught the eye of head coach Freddie Kitchens.

“I’ve been very pleased with Mack the last three days,” Kitchens said. “We need to keep stringing those good days together. You do that by walking on the field and making the best of that day and that rep.”

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