David Wilson
5’9 5/8, 206 pounds | Running back | Virginia Tech
Acceleration/burst: Wilson possesses a great initial burst and he can get up to speed in a hurry. Accelerates incredibly well through the hole. Defenses will get in trouble if they don’t get a hand on him in a hurry. Has the speed to turn any run into a big play.
Elusiveness: Falls in love with his elusiveness to much and likes to work outside too frequently. When that doesn’t work, he’ll try and cut back inside and get tackled for lost yards. NFL coaches will want Wilson to become more decisive immediately. Hard to take down with an arm tackle. It’s not necessarily because he’s a power back, either. Wilson has plenty of wiggle to his game to shake off tacklers. Shows off his agility when cutting back inside on sweep plays outside.
David Wilson 2012 NFL Draft scouting report
Pass blocking/catching: Can be a weapon on screens and swings in the passing game. Has above-average hands as a receiver. Used infrequently as a blocker and will need a lot of work here.
Power: Is a strong enough runner to be able to grind on a defense early and still break a big gain late in the game. Added more bulk before his junior season, which helped him become a stronger runner. Still, he’ll never be viewed as a powerhouse and he won’t as easily break tackles at the next level.
Speed: If there is an open running lane, few players can hit the hole and come out of it as well as Wilson. Although he ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, Wilson is a speed-first runner. When Wilson gets into open space, he seems to have a second gear to break away from defenders.
Vision: Still needs to get more comfortable running between tackles and setting up his blockers. Like many speedy running backs, Wilson needs to start setting up his blockers better. Has a knack for making big plays at important times whether it’s returning a kickoff for a touchdown or breaking a big run.
Final word: Wilson is a hot and cold runner. He’ll break a 10-yard run, but follow it up by negative-yardage plays. Because of that, the speedy Virginia Tech runner may be best served as part of a rotation or duo. Because of that, he may slip some in the draft.
