Gary Wilkins makes the most of his second chance

VERO BEACH, Fla. — Gary Wilkins got maximum exposure at the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ mini-camp.

Wilkins began the three-day camp at Historic Dodgertown as a defensive lineman but was moved to linebacker during the first workout. The 6-foot-2, 242-pound product of Covington, Ga., didn’t look out of place at either position.

“The more you can do, that increases your value,” said Wilkins, 25. “If I can do two or three jobs and somebody else can do only one, I’m pretty sure they’re going to take the person who can cover more ground, rush the passer and defend the run versus somebody who’s one-sided.”

Wilkins was a weak-side and middle linebacker during his first two seasons at Furman University before moving to defensive end for his final two campaigns at the school.

He was a team captain in his senior season, during which he had 76 tackles, eight sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception. He subsequently was named a first-team conference all-star and a third-team All-American.

In 48 career collegiate games, Wilkins recorded 294 tackles, 37.5 tackles for losses, 15.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions — one of which he returned 98 yards for a touchdown. He scored three TDs in his collegiate career.

The versatility he showed in college was evident during the Roughriders’ mini-camp.

“He’s a guy who has taken full advantage of his opportunity down here,” said Jeremy O’Day, Saskatchewan’s assistant vice-president of football operations and administration. “You can tell the guys who really want to jump in — and if they’re cutting in line or trying to take as many reps as they possibly can, it’s always a positive thing.

“For him, it started with pass rush. From there, you have to try to see if he’ll fit on your roster. Is he a defensive end? Is he a linebacker? Like I tell all the guys, ‘The more that you can do and the more positions that you can play, the better we’ll be.’ ”

Ironically, the Roughriders didn’t sign Wilkins after he participated in their 2016 mini-camp in Vero Beach. He subsequently moved to Greenville, S.C., and kept training while also working at a variety of jobs, including driving an Uber and working as a substitute teacher at elementary and high schools.

He never thought about ending his pursuit of a job in football.

“The whole time, it was, ‘Do I go home and then, one day five or 10 years down the road, look back and think that I should have continued to play?’ ’’ Wilkins said. “You don’t want to have any regrets. I thought, ‘I can still play and I still want to play,’ so I kept on training.”

It wasn’t the first time Wilkins had been spurned and it wouldn’t be the last.

He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Oakland Raiders in May of 2015, but was cut before the regular season. Then he wasn’t signed after the Roughriders’ 2016 mini-camp. After that, he had workouts with a couple of Arena Football League teams but didn’t receive any contract offers.

This week, with a fire lit underneath him, Wilkins put his best foot forward with the same team that didn’t sign him in 2016.

“Coming here versus going somewhere else, I’ve got a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I’m not out here conceited or feeling like I deserve to be here. But I’m good enough to be here, so I’m trying to prove my point as to why I need to be here and why I should be here.”

One other Saskatchewan hopeful got the point.

On Tuesday, quarterback Vince Young said Wilkins “looked very impressive.” The big linebacker, Young said, was using surprising speed to close down passing lanes.

“With my situation — coming here and not getting signed last year — getting compliments like that keeps me going,” said Wilkins, whose dad, Gary Sr., played six NFL seasons as a tight end with the Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons.

“When you get a compliment from somebody like (Young) who has played in a professional league and played on those big stages, that means you’re doing something good. So I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing.”