Russell Wilson is going to be the host of an upcoming ESPN SportsCenter Special.
The four-part program — entitled “QB2QB” — features the Seattle Seahawks veteran quarterback mentoring top prospects in advance of the 2018 NFL Draft. Participants will include quarterbacks Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma), Mason Rudolph (Oklahoma State) and J.T. Barrett (Ohio State), and running back Saquon Barkley (Penn State). The Barkley episode will be called “QB2RB.”
All four 30-minute episodes are scheduled to air April 17 in prime time on ESPN
Wilson will host one-on-one conversations with each player. He will discuss his own NFL experiences from the past six seasons, including making the transition from college to the pros, winning and losing Super Bowls, being the face of an NFL franchise, starting over with new coaches, and building relationships with teammates.
“QB2QB” also will explore mental conditioning with Wilson and his cognitive coach Trevor Moawad. The Founder and President of Moawad Consulting Group, Moawad works with Wilson and other professional athletes in self-awareness and mental skills training.
“QB2QB” follows the successful eight-year run of Jon Gruden’s popular “QB Camp” series. From 2010-17, Gruden, now head coach of the Oakland Raiders, mentored more than 50 quarterbacks, including Wilson.
“Jon Gruden’s ‘QB Camp’ was one of my favorite experiences of the NFL Draft process because it helped prepare me for some of the physical and mental demands of playing in the NFL,” Wilson said in a press release. “Now, I’m excited to have the opportunity to meet Baker, Saquon, Mason and J.T. to try to help them get ready for the next level.”
ESPN Monday Night Football producer Jay Rothman, who will oversee the project along with producer Josh Hoffman, said Wilson, a third-round pick in the 2012 NFL draft, is the ideal mentor for young players.
“He overcame a fair amount of skepticism when he joined the league and worked hard to become one of the NFL’s top players,” Rothman said. “Our ‘QB Camp’ series with Jon Gruden highlighted the relationship between coach and quarterback; this new iteration of the series will now explore the mentoring relationship between NFL veteran and these soon-to-be rookie players.”
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