The introduction for Garrett Wilson came in college.
He mostly lined up in the slot for Ohio State against Alabama in the 2021 College Football Playoff title game — and therefore mostly avoided Patrick Surtain II’s coverage — but the impact of the future first-round pick was evident.
Surtain helped contain Saints wideout Chris Olave, Wilson and the other Ohio State receivers that night in the Crimson Tide’s win, and Wilson recalled Olave saying at the time that, “Yeah, he’s really good.”
When the Jets face the Broncos on Sunday, Wilson likely will draw coverage from Surtain for the second time since they both joined the NFL, and it’s a matchup Wilson said he looks forward to — similar to others against top cornerbacks.
Wilson caught four passes for 24 yards in the Jets’ Week 7 game against the Broncos last year, and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph could have Surtain shadow Wilson like he did against Dolphins wideout Tyreek Hill or Raiders wideout Davante Adams.
“If I’m serious about how I go about things, these are the games you look forward to, the matchups you look forward to,” Wilson said Friday. “I want the chance to prove it against the best, and he’s, for sure, that.”
The Week 3 matchup against Hill turned into the worst of Surtain’s career, as he allowed four catches, 99 yards and a touchdown while tracking Hill on 13 of 21 routes, according to Next Gen Stats. But in the season opener, Surtain, 23, surrendered just two catches and broke up a career-best three passes defending Davante Adams, according to Pro Football Focus.
Wilson said it’s apparent that Surtain — the son of a former Pro Bowl defensive back — grew up around the game because of his sound technique and knowledge of opponents, while Surtain described Wilson as a “playmaker” to Denver reporters Thursday.
“He’s their guy, their No. 1, go-to target,” Surtain said. “What I’ve seen, they move him around a lot, specifically in positions for him to make plays, you know what I mean, because that’s what they want to do.”
The Wilson-Surtain matchup will occur one week after the Jets’ offense flashed tangible progress for perhaps the first time since Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles, too. Wilson caught nine of his 14 targets from quarterback Zach Wilson for 60 yards in their Week 4 loss, and any lingering effects from sideline frustrations started to simmer. The Wilsons connected — and then kept connecting.
Surtain might make it difficult for the pair to orchestrate an encore, though.
“That was some glimpses of where we want to be at,” Wilson said of Week 4. “We gotta find a way to be more consistent and we’re always on the chase of getting better, but to take that step, it was the right step.”