Tavon Wilson
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Tavon Wilson (born March 19, 1990) is an American former professional
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
player who was a
safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...
in the
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(NFL). He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the
Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the College athletics, intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's Varsity team, varsity sports. The university op ...
, and was selected by the
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
in the second round of the
2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
. With the Patriots, Wilson won
Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 NFL season, 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2014 New England Patriots season, New Eng ...
, and he has also played for the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
and
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
.


College career

Wilson started the last 38 games of his collegiate career, spanning his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. In 2011, he was named the team's outstanding defensive back at the annual postseason banquet.


Professional career


Pre-draft

Wilson did not receive an invitation to the
NFL Scouting Combine The NFL Scouting Combine is a week-long showcase occurring every February at Lucas Oil Stadium (and formerly at the RCA Dome until 2008) in Indianapolis, where college football players perform physical and mental tests in front of National Foot ...
. He was invited to the Super Regional Combine in
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, but declined the invitation. On March 30, 2012, he participated at Illinois' pro day and performed all of the combine and positional drills. During the draft process, Wilson attended private visits with multiple teams, including the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...
,
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
,
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
,
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
,
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
,
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
, and
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Wilson was projected to be a sixth or seventh round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and scouts. He was ranked the ninth best free safety prospect in the draft and was ranked the 24th best safety in the draft by ESPN Scouts inc.


New England Patriots


2012

The
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
selected Wilson in the second round (48th overall) of the
2012 NFL draft The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
. Wilson was the third safety drafted in 2012, behind Mark Barron and Harrison Smith. The Patriots' selection of Wilson was immediately met with criticism as he was a virtually unknown prospect. Many analysts questioned the selection and labeled it a reach by head coach Bill Belichick. NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper did not have any notes on Wilson due to low draft status. On May 12, 2012, the Patriots signed Wilson to a fully guaranteed four-year, $4.21 million contract that includes a
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
of $1.50 million. Throughout training camp, he competed for a job as a backup safety against James Ihedigbo, Nate Ebner, Josh Barrett, and Sergio Brown. Head coach Bill Belichick named Wilson the backup free safety to begin the regular season, behind Steve Gregory. He made his professional regular season debut in the New England Patriots' season-opener at the
Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...
and recorded four combined tackles, two pass deflections, and made his first career interception off a pass by Jake Locker in their 34–13 victory. Wilson made his first career tackle on Chris Johnson in the second quarter. On October 7, 2012, Wilson earned his first career start in place of Steve Gregory who sustained a hip injury. He collected a season-high ten combined tackles (five solo) during their 31–21 victory against the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
in Week 5. In Week 8, he recorded three combined tackles, a pass deflection, and returned an interception by Case Keenum for a 45-yard gain during a 45–7 victory against the
St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...
at
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. He finished his rookie season with 41 total tackles (28 solo), six pass deflections, and four interceptions in 16 games and four starts. Wilson played in 464 snaps on defense (42.3%) and played 238 snaps on special teams (48.7%). The New England Patriots finished first in the
AFC East The American Football Conference – Eastern Division or AFC East is one of the four Division (sport), divisions of the American Football Conference (AFC) in the National Football League (NFL). There are currently four teams that reside in th ...
division with a 12–4 record and received a first round bye and home-field advantage. On January 13, 2013, Wilson appeared in his first career playoff game and made three combined tackles in the Patriots' 41–28 victory against the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
in the AFC Divisional Round. The following week, the Patriots were eliminated after being defeated by the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in the AFC Championship game.


2013

During training camp, Wilson competed to be the starting strong safety against Adrian Wilson, Steve Gregory, Duron Harmon, and Marquice Cole. He was named the backup free safety, behind Devin McCourty, to begin the regular season. Wilson was inactive for three games (Weeks 5–7) due to an injury he sustained to his
hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...
. In Week 11, he collected a season-high two solo tackles in the Patriots' 24-20 loss at the
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
. On December 22, 2013, Wilson made one solo tackle and returned an interception by Tyrod Taylor for a 74-yard touchdown during a 41-7 victory at the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
in Week 16. Throughout the season, he was used primarily on special teams and was limited to three solo tackles, an interception, and a touchdown in 13 games and zero starts. Wilson saw a sharp decrease in his playing time on defense and was limited to only 17 snaps on defense (1.4%), but played 253 snaps on special teams (54.7%).


2014

Wilson entered camp as a candidate to replace Steve Gregory at strong safety. Wilson competed for the job against Patrick Chung and Duron Harmon. He was named the backup free safety to Devin McCourty to start the season. In Week 17, Wilson collected a season-high five combined tackles during a 17–9 loss to the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
. He finished his third season with 22 combined tackles (19 solo) and two pass deflections in 16 games and zero starts. He had a larger role on defense and played in 183 defensive snaps (16.7%). Wilson also maintained his prominent role on special teams and played in 324 snaps (69.5%). The
New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...
finished atop the AFC East division with a 12–4 record. They received a first round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Patriots went on to reach the Super Bowl after defeating the
Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...
35–31 in the AFC Divisional round and defeating the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
45–7 in the
AFC Championship Game The AFC Championship Game is the annual championship game of the American Football Conference (AFC) and one of the two semifinal NFL playoffs, playoff games of the National Football League (NFL), the largest professional American football lea ...
. On February 1, 2015, Wilson played on special teams in
Super Bowl XLIX Super Bowl XLIX was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2014 NFL season, 2014 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion 2014 New England Patriots season, New Eng ...
as the Patriots defeated the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
28–24.


2015

Wilson was in danger of losing his roster spot during training camp in 2015. He was on the roster bubble as Patrick Chung and Devin McCourty were entrenched in the starting roles at safety, Duron Harmon was slated as the third safety in their three-safety technique, and rookie Jordan Richards was virtually guaranteed a roster spot as a second round pick in the
2015 NFL draft The 2015 NFL draft was the 80th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football, football players. It took place in Chicago at the Auditorium Theatre and in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park ...
. He competed to be the fifth safety on the roster as a backup and a special teams player against Nate Ebner. Head coach Bill Belichick opted to keep six safeties on the depth chart and named Wilson the backup free safety behind Devin McCourty to start the regular season. In Week 11, Wilson recorded a season-high three solo tackles and a pass deflection during a 20–13 win against the
Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo–Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East div ...
. He finished his last season with the New England Patriots with 13 combined tackles (ten solo) and two pass deflections in nine games and zero starts. He played 155 snaps on special teams (31.5%) and was limited to 83 snaps on defense (7.6%). Wilson was a healthy scratch for seven games as the Patriots chose to only carry five safeties during those contests. He was also inactive for both of the Patriots' playoff games. Wilson became an
unrestricted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
after completing his four-year rookie contract. The New England Patriots chose not to re-sign Wilson after re-signing Nate Ebner to replace him on special teams and Jordan Richards adequately replacing Wilson on defense. They did not offer Wilson a contract after the season.


Detroit Lions


2016

On March 10, 2016, the
Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
signed Wilson to a two-year, $2.20 million contract with a signing bonus of $500,000. General manager Bob Quinn targeted Wilson in free agent due to his past relationship with Wilson as the Patriots' Director of Pro Scouting and was an integral part of the Patriots' decision of drafting Wilson in 2012. Throughout training camp, Wilson competed to be the Lions' starting strong safety against Rafael Bush and rookie Miles Killebrew. Head coach Jim Caldwell chose Wilson as the starting strong safety to start the season, opposite free safety Glover Quin. He started in the Lions' season opener at the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
and recorded four solo tackles in their 38–35 victory. On October 30, 2016, Wilson collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 20–13 loss at the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
in Week 8. The following week, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles in the Lions' 22–16 win at the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
in Week 9. On November 20, 2016, Wilson recorded five solo tackles, a pass deflection, and made his first interception as a member of the Lions during a 26–19 win against the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
in Week 11. In Week 17, he collected seven combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback
Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...
in a 31–24 loss to the
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. He finished his first season in Detroit with a career-high 89 combined tackles (74 solo), two pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack in 15 games and 14 starts. Wilson received the 21st highest grade among all qualifying safeties from Pro Football Focus in 2016. The Lions finished second in the
NFC North The National Football Conference – Northern Division or NFC North is one of the four divisions of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed the "Black and Blue Division" for the rough and toug ...
with a 9–7 record and received a playoff berth as a wildcard team. On January 7, 2017, Wilson started his first career playoff game and recorded seven combined tackles in the Lions' 26–6 loss to the
Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The club entered the NFL a ...
in the NFC Wildcard Game.


2017

During training camp, Wilson competed to retain his role as the starting strong safety against Miles Killebrew. Defensive coordinator Teryl Austin named Wilson the starting strong safety to begin the regular season, alongside Glover Quin. Wilson started in the Lions' season opener against the
Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...
, recorded three solo tackles, broke up a pass and intercepted a pass by Carson Palmer in their 35–23 victory. Wilson was inactive for the Lions' Week 3 loss at the
Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...
after injuring his shoulder. On October 29, 2017, Wilson collected a season-high 11 combined tackles (six solo) during a 20–15 loss to the
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
in Week 8. In Week 10, he collected seven combined tackles and a sack during a 38–24 win against the
Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...
. On November 27, 2017, the Lions placed Wilson on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 12. He finished the season with 55 combined tackles (42 solo), two pass deflections, two sacks, and an interception in ten games and nine starts. Pro Football Focus gave Wilson an overall grade of 45.4, ranking 79th among all qualified safeties in 2017.


2018

On March 13, 2018, the Lions signed Wilson to a two-year, $7 million contract that includes $3.25 million guaranteed and a signing bonus of $1.75 million.


2019

In 2019, Wilson played in all 16 games (starting 13), and made a career-high 92 tackles. He also had a sack, five passes defensed, and two fumble recoveries.


Indianapolis Colts

On August 11, 2020, Wilson signed with the
Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. Since the 2008 India ...
. He played in 15 games with two starts as a backup safety and core special teamer.


San Francisco 49ers

On March 22, 2021, Wilson signed a one-year deal with the
San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...
. He was placed on injured reserve on November 15, 2021.


NFL career statistics


Regular season


Playoffs


References


External links


Illinois Fighting Illini bioCBSsports draft profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Tavon 1990 births Living people Players of American football from Washington, D.C. H. D. Woodson High School alumni American football safeties Illinois Fighting Illini football players New England Patriots players Detroit Lions players Indianapolis Colts players San Francisco 49ers players