Former Georgia State wide receiver Albert Wilson has made the Kansas City Chiefs’ 53-man roster as Saturday was the deadline for NFL teams to finalize their squads in time for the regular season.
When the star wide receiver entered the professional ranks, he became the sixth Georgia State Panther to enter the NFL, joining Christo Bilukidi, Emmanuel Ogbuehi, Ulrick John, Theo Agnew, Jake Muasau and Donald Russell.
Panthers Head Coach Trent Miles reacted at Monday’s practice to the news and said he was proud of Wilson for making the Chiefs’ regular season roster.
“I’m very happy for Albert. He’s worked very hard to get to where he is now, and this has always been a dream of his to play in the NFL,” Miles said.
Miles believes that Wilson has what it takes to succeed at the next level.
“Any time you have a receiver with the speed and the explosiveness that Albert possesses, that’s something that you need in the pros,” Miles said.
Sophomore wide receiver Robert Davis was also proud of Wilson. Last year as a true freshman, he was second on the team in receiving yards last year with 711 behind Wilson’s 1,177. He viewed Wilson as a mentor to him last season.
“This past season when I came in for my first year, he really took me under his wing and showed me the ropes to be a great wide receiver at the college level,” Davis said. “It’s tremendous that he made it into the NFL.”
Senior wideout Lynquez Blair was pleased for Wilson as well. The two receivers spent three years together as teammates with Georgia State going back to 2011 when Blair was a freshman.
“It’s great that he made it. We’re very proud of him,” Blair said. “One thing about him is he always stays humble and stayed prayed up. He’s got what it takes.”
Wilson signed a free agent contract with the Chiefs after not being selected in this year’s NFL Draft.
In Wilson’s first game in the preseason against the Cincinnati Bengals, Wilson caught two passes for 14 yards while also returning a kickoff 65 yards. Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Wilson suffered an ankle sprain after the game in which Kansas City won 41-39.
Wilson would catch his first touchdown of the preseason when Kansas City played the Minnesota Vikings. The Chiefs would lose to Minnesota 30-12.
He concluded the preseason with seven receptions for 49 yards and the touchdown along with receiving five kick returns for 138 yards, averaging over 27 yards per return.
At a Monday press conference, Wilson said his belief in himself led him to overcome the odds given that he was undrafted and made it into the NFL despite coming from a non-power conference school like Georgia State.
“It just goes back to staying in your playbook, learning, and just being coachable at the end of the day,” Wilson said.
Kansas City has released its depth chart for their Week 1 matchup against the Tennessee Titans. Wilson is ranked fourth behind receivers Donnie Avery, Frankie Hammond and Junior Hemingway. He will wear no. 12 as a member of the Chiefs.
During Wilson’s career with Georgia State, he compiled a total of 6,235 all-purpose yards to put him in the top 30 in NCAA history. He is also the school’s leading scorer in the short history of the football program with 26 touchdowns for 156 points as well as the leading receiver with 175 receptions for 3,190 yards.
