Blidi Bertrand Wreh-Wilson ( ; born December 5, 1989) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

who is a free agent. He was drafted by 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division, and play their h ...

in the third round of the

2013 NFL Draft The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall in ...

. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

University of Connecticut The University of Connecticut (UConn) is a public land-grant research university in Storrs, Connecticut, a village in the town of Mansfield. The primary 4,400-acre (17.8 km2) campus is in Storrs, approximately a half hour's drive from Hart ...

Early years

Blidi attended General McLane High School in

Edinboro, Pennsylvania Edinboro is a borough (Pennsylvania), borough in Erie County, Pennsylvania, Erie County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is part of the Erie, Pennsylvania, Erie Metropolitan Statistical Area. As home to Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, it is a ...

, where he was a four-sport star in football, basketball, track and soccer. He played for the General McLane Lancers

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

team and for General McLane's 2007 PIAA AAA Basketball State Championship team, which in the same year won the PIAA AAA Football State Championship. This made General McLane the first high school in PIAA history to accomplish such a feat. Wreh-Wilson was not on the football team as he was on the soccer team. Switching fall sports in his senior year from soccer to football, Wreh-Wilson was an honorable mention all-state pick as a senior. Rated only a two-star

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by ''

Rivals A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

'', he committed to Connecticut over an offer from Buffalo. In track, he ran the 100-meter dash in 11.4 seconds, and the 400-meter dash in 51.03 seconds.

College career

While attending the

, Wreh-Wilson played for the Connecticut Huskies football team from 2008 to 2012. After being

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Entertainment * ''Red Shirts'' (film), a 1952 film about Anita Garibaldi by Franco Rossi * Redshirt (stock character), originally derived from ''Star Trek'', a stock character who dies soon after b ...

ed in 2008, Wreh-Wilson saw action in all 13 games of the 2009 season. He started nine games, including the final seven games of the season, and recorded a total of 40 tackles and one interception. Wreh-Wilson started all 13 games for the Huskies at the

position in 2010. He had four interceptions on the season, two of which were returned for touchdowns, and also recorded 57 tackles, five pass deflections, and one fumble recovery. In the 2011 season, Wreh-Wilson only played in eight games due to a knee injury, but managed to start all eight games, and recorded 37 tackles, including two for a loss, along with two interceptions and seven pass deflections. As a senior in 2012, Wreh-Wilson played in and started 11 games, and was honored as the team's

Most Valuable Player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

. He was also a second-team All-

Big East The Big East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference that competes in NCAA Division I in ten men's sports and twelve women's sports. Headquartered in New York City, the eleven full-member schools are primarily located in Northeast and ...

selection and recorded 47 tackles, nine pass deflections, and an interception.

Professional career

Tennessee Titans

The

chose Wreh-Wilson in the third round, with the 70th overall pick, of the

. He signed his four-year rookie contract with the Titans on June 20, 2013. As a rookie, he played in 13 games in a reserve role and contributed nine tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass defensed, and one forced fumble while adding five tackles and one forced fumble on special teams. In 2014, Wreh-Wilson started 11 games at cornerback and ranked second on the team with 10 passes defensed. He recorded 57 tackles, an interception, and a quarterback pressure in the 2014 season. On August 28, 2016, Wreh-Wilson was waived by the Titans.

Atlanta Falcons

On November 29, 2016, Wreh-Wilson was signed by 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

. He was released by the Falcons on December 9, 2016, but he was re-signed three days later. He was inactive for the Falcons' 34-28 overtime loss to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East divisio ...

in the

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

. On March 10, 2017, Wreh-Wilson signed a one-year contract with the Falcons. On March 10, 2018, Wreh-Wilson signed a one-year contract extension with the Falcons. On February 22, 2019, Wreh-Wilson signed another one-year contract extension with the Falcons. On March 31, 2020, Wreh-Wilson re-signed with the Falcons. In week 3 of the 2020 season against the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine NF ...

, he recorded his first interception as a Falcon during the 30–26 loss. In week 8, against 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 club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. T ...

on ''Thursday Night Football'', Wreh-Wilson intercepted a pass thrown by

Teddy Bridgewater Theodore Edmond Bridgewater Jr. (born November 10, 1992) is an American football quarterback for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). Born and raised in Miami, Florida, he graduated from Miami Northwestern high school. Br ...

late in the fourth quarter to secure a 25–17 Falcons' victory.

Las Vegas Raiders

On June 9, 2021, Wreh-Wilson signed with the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

He was released on August 31, 2021.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On October 18, 2021, Wreh-Wilson was signed to the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

practice squad. He appeared in one game before he was released on January 18, 2022.

Personal life

Wreh-Wilson's parents are from

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

. His father is of Kru descent.

References

External links

UCONN Huskies bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wreh-Wilson, Blidi 1989 births Living people People from Erie County, Pennsylvania American football cornerbacks American people of Liberian descent UConn Huskies football players Players of American football from Pennsylvania Tennessee Titans players Atlanta Falcons players Las Vegas Raiders players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players