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David Wilson A Potential Dirty Bird?


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David Wilson a Potential Dirty Bird?

by Alex Welch on Feb 7, 2012 10:31 AM EST

Michael Turner is definitely the man in the Falcons' backfield for 2012, but there's no denying the fact he will need replacing in the relatively near future. David Wilson is a name that popped up on some very early mock drafts in 2011, and after falling off a bit, he's made a resurgence. Several sites/sources are starting to list Wilson as Atlanta's Round 2 pick in April. Let's take a look at the latest dark horse to land in Georgia.

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Wilson, a speedy runner out of Va Tech, is listed as 5'10", 205 lbs. with a 4.42 40 time. He finished his junior campaign with 1,790 yards and nine scores on 290 carries. He only had 172 touches in his first two seasons for the Hokies, so he doesn't have a whole lot of tread taken off his proverbial tires.

Scouts love his quickness and ability to break away from defenders in the open field. Despite being a little undersized, Wilson is often labeled as a tough runner. He fights for yardage and makes sure he gets the most out of every run.

He has great hands, and with his home-run capability at any time, Wilson could factor in nicely to Atlanta's promised screen game in 2012. He also has experience as a kick returner, which could be a starting point for him if <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/players/1190/eric-weems">Eric Weems is shown the door.

He does have a few negative aspects surrounding him. If you watched Va Tech's Thursday night game at Georgia Tech, you will recall his lapse in judgment on a few plays running east to west. At times he will try too hard to make something out of nothing, and wind up with a huge loss in the backfield. He needs to learn when it's acceptable to acknowledge a bad play when he sees one.

Another downside is his effectiveness in pass blocking, which is basically little to none. He wasn't asked to take on that task a lot, so with some work he could make huge strides.

The biggest issue, though, is whether or not Atlanta should use their first pick to address Turner's replacement. There are so many other needs on this team, and depending on what happens in free agency, the Falcons may have some serious holes to fill on the depth chart.

Wilson is obviously talented, and he will likely make an impact for whatever team he ventures to. The question is, should the Falcons call his name on April 27? Thoughts?

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@Negatron

Thanks for vid. it clearly shows this dude 2nd effort and speed. Those were LBs he was runnig over! Someone is going to get a player in the 2nd rd. for sure.

No prob. Yeah, I wouldn't mind going OL in FA, RB Wilson in 2nd, OL or DL in the 3rd, TE after that. Dude runs like he's on fire and the end-zone is a lake.

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The devlaluation of the RB position in the NFL is the only factor that makes this a possibility. I was encouraged to hear that Doug Martin performed well at the Senior Bowl because I think behind Richardson, it's a 3 horse race in that late first & 2nd round area; Lamar Miller, David Wilson and Martin. The key will be Richardson IMO. Every year around this time, the top RB is always projected higher than where he ultimately goes and that's largely because bad teams can't prioritize the position in the top half generally and the bottom half usually have decent options at the position.

Wilson was my pick at #55 when I wrote my first off-season proposal...and I recognize it's a less than 50/50 probability he's there. But the case for him extends beyond the tag of being a 'luxury pick'. Quite simply, our ability to diversify our offense through the RB position is extremely limited. Snelling is a slower better receiving version of Turner and Jacquizz strikes me as a Sproles type player...a specialist.

Wilson gives the Falcons a dimension on offense in both the running and passing game that it lacks right now and I feel comfortable he could come in immediately and contribute. There's obviously other options that are viable considerations at #55, but I like Wilson the best at this time.

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Quite simply, our ability to diversify our offense through the RB position is extremely limited. Snelling is a slower better receiving version of Turner and Jacquizz strikes me as a Sproles type player...a specialist.

Wilson gives the Falcons a dimension on offense in both the running and passing game that it lacks right now and I feel comfortable he could come in immediately and contribute. There's obviously other options that are viable considerations at #55, but I like Wilson the best at this time.

This is exactly how i feel about our RB position right now. We need a True multipurpose back to hit the next level.

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I say yes. Turner isn't a #1 back anymore. His stats this year are fools gold just like Abe's.

How so? If turner was cut or traded he'd be another teams #1 and would probably eat us for lunch if he's behind a nice line. And Abe can't do it all by himself. Look at NY. If u pick your poison and double and triple or chip with a RB Osi, Tuck or JPP will have a FIELD day. I've never seen Abe lose a 1 on 1 but I always see him doubled or tripled and chipped by a back. No teams worry about our other pass rushers. They game plan Abe. If we bring in Mario and lose Abe, Mario will see the same. Doubles, triples, chips.

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A good OL and a good system can make an UDFA RB look good. If we draft a RB with our first pick, I vow to not watch the rest of the draft. And I will start backing up the Dimitroff haters.

Well, I might not go that far, but I will definitely not write any positive posts about the pick :-)

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