Tavon Wilson

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.

Wilson did not receive an invitation to the NFL Scouting Combine. He was invited to the Super Regional Combine in Detroit, Michigan, 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, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore Ravens, and San Diego Chargers. 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.

The New England Patriots selected Wilson in the second round (48th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft. 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 New England Patriots signed Wilson to a fully guaranteed four-year, $4.21 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $1.50 million.

He made his professional regular season debut in the New England Patriots' season-opener at the Tennessee Titans 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 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 at Wembley Stadium. 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 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 in the AFC Divisional Round. The following week, the Patriots were eliminated after being defeated by the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship game.

Wilson was inactive for three games (Weeks 5–7) due to an injury he sustained to his hamstring. In Week 11, he collected a season-high two solo tackles in the Patriots' 24-20 loss at the Carolina Panthers. 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 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%).

The New England Patriots 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 35–31 in the AFC Divisional round and defeating the Indianapolis Colts 45–7 in the AFC Championship Game. On February 1, 2015, Wilson played on special teams in Super Bowl XLIX as the Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28–24.

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. 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.

On March 10, 2016, the Detroit Lions 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.

He started in the Lions' season opener at the Indianapolis Colts 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 in Week 8. The following week, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles in the Lions' 22–16 win at the Minnesota Vikings 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 in Week 11. In Week 17, he collected seven combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Aaron Rodgers in a 31–24 loss to the Green Bay Packers. 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 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 in the NFC Wildcard Game.

Wilson started in the Lions' season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, and 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 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 in Week 8. In Week 10, he collected seven combined tackles and a sack during a 38–24 win against the Cleveland Browns. 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.

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.

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.

On August 11, 2020, Wilson signed with the Indianapolis Colts.