SB Nation Atlanta Editor's Pick
David Wilson a Potential Dirty Bird?
by Alex Welch on Feb 7, 2012 10:31 AM EST
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PrintMichael 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.
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 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?
This FanPost was written by one of The Falcoholic's talented readers. It does not necessarily reflect the views of The Falcoholic.
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I'm actually a student at VT
This guy would be great in the rotation his rookie year and I think he’d be a solid starter in a year or two. To be honest though, I think he’ll be picked way before it’s our turn
Best Player Available
I’d be fine with a backfield of Snelling, Rodgers, and [Insert Promising Rookie], especially if it means we can redirect Turner’s salary to signing free agents on Defense.
The cap hit would be prohibitive.
The only option with regard to Turner is a trade.Getting equitable value for him is doubtful.
2 things say no
first – running backs are usually easy to find. why waste our earliest pick on one if he’s not the second coming of Barry Sanders (who wouldn’t be at 54 or 55 anyway)
second – there are several other needs to address. what happens in FA will most likely be the biggest determining factor in how we use our first pick. this year moreso than most because of not having a first rounder, this second rounder has got to be right
I like 2nd Round RBs
Forte – pick 44
McCoy – pick 53
Ray Rice – pick 55
MJD – pick 60
Frank Gore – pick 65
by widderslainte on Feb 7, 2012 1:21 PM EST up reply actions
That said, if we don’t resign Grimes/Lofton, we should be looking at DB/LB if we havent addressed it during Free Agency.
I think the OL is a bigger issue than Turner for 2012. My point is that I think he can be replaced if there’s something good sitting there at our pick.
by widderslainte on Feb 7, 2012 3:18 PM EST up reply actions
There are definitely other needs that should come first, but you’re right, we’ll have to see what happens in FA. What do you think about taking a tight end in Round 2 instead?
Tight Ends
In general, you can snag a good tight-end in the third and fourth rounds. There are a few “project” TE prospects that we could find in the 3rd round if needed.
Success is internally determined and externally executed.
by The DW on Feb 7, 2012 1:50 PM EST up reply actions 1 recs
Find a diamond in the rough...
aka Arian Foster. There are a ton of good running backs coming out of college, and not all great ones come in the first few rounds. They need to get help with the OL before anything.
That's once in a blue moon
I take BPA in this draft. If it’s a RB then take the RB. We need more talent for our new coaches to work with.
And Michael Turner was a 5th round pick. You can definitely find diamonds later in the draft.
I think it’s more of a question of finding out what you have. Houston cut Arian Foster after signing him and had him backing up Slaton.
We need OL, but I doubt we’ll get any 2nd round OL picks that would have an impact in 2012. I’d rather have a potential stud at a different position than a guard that might be a starter in 2013.
by widderslainte on Feb 7, 2012 3:26 PM EST up reply actions
If 1 or 2 of those...
talented TE’s could slip to us in the 3rd then I like the idea of picking this kid up.
"I'd run over my own mother to win the Super Bowl." - Joe Jacoby, formerly of the Redskins
"To win, I'd run over Joe's mom too." - Matt Millen, formerly of the Raiders
"We now have exactly the same situation as we had at the start of the race, only exactly the opposite" - Murray Walker, Sportscaster
One question
Can he rush the passer?
If he can’t pass, especially when you have Turner, Snelling (may be gone) and the midget on the roster. Can’t spend any picks at all on a RB, but after the second round they usuallyt don’t pas out anyway for TD the exception being Peters.,
Seems to be the general agreement
Good player, need to address team concerns first though. We’re not in a position to pick ‘best player available’ yet unless they are just so far ahead of anyone else.
by Turner_The_Burner on Feb 7, 2012 8:25 PM EST reply actions
I'm with J_cod actually.
As a hokie, I want people to make sure they see the whole picture with David Wilson. He is smallish, but lightning quick. The best part about him on the field though, is he is the guy that is always pushing the pile forwards for a few extra yards. Even with guys bigger then him all over him, he always finds way to squeak out the extra bit of yardage. The biggest and best thing about him though, and one thing the Comrade will not overlook is his character. This man wears shirt and tie to class every day. Not just special days. Every day. He is from Danville, VA, out in the country, and is a real class act.
All in all, he may not fit our biggest need, but I can’t say I wouldn’t love to have him.
i said david wilson a couple weeks ago at a poker game and my buddy said “why? we already have rodgers.” rodgers is a strong, shifty runner, and turner can hammer some folks, but david wilson is the real burner. if we address the offensive line in free agency like i think we will, i would not have a problem with drafting a real playmaker like david wilson.
Please No
First of all it won’t happen because we no longer draft tech players. After Vick and Hall we cut like 8 or 9 VT players (everyone of them on the roster) and Wilson was a good college back and he looks good on paper but if you watch him he runs east to west and is a hit or miss runner. If we are going running back lets look at Lamar Kendrick.
Kendrick lamar is dope
But that’s dumb as hell. Your going to veto a school because we had some mishaps from that school. So is a sure fire pro bowler comes out your going to pass on him because he came from a certain school?
Miller won’t make it to us unless we trade up. Wilson would be a quality pick in the second especially if we can move MT.
I’m not vetoing a school. Yes it comes across that I am but I meant it factually. When I said this
First of all it won’t happen because we no longer draft tech playersI meant it in the sense we will not draft VT players. We haven’t done it after we cut every one of them on the team and I don’t see that changing. If you can prove me wrong I’d love to hear it because personally I have no issues with tech what so ever.
by Falconzfan284 on Feb 9, 2012 4:18 PM EST up reply actions
Not to jump down your throat,
because he did make some east to west plays when he was trying to do too much in big situations, but if you ACTUALLY watch him play, you know he runs north-south much more than trying to bounce anything outside or cutback.
I’m not quite sure if you know your VA geography man but Radford University happens to be about 15 minutes away from VT. I guarantee I’ve seen him play a hell of a lot more than you have because he is right in my backyard. If i thought he was going to be a good pro I would love to have him. Last year when Ryan Williams was drafted out of VT I really wanted him because he was and IMO will be a damn good back. Unfortunately I knew we wouldn’t get him because he don’t draft guys out of Tech.
by Falconzfan284 on Feb 9, 2012 4:22 PM EST up reply actions
Thanks.
Just because we haven’t drafted guys out of tech in a while doesn’t mean we have an intentional aversion to them, that’s absolutely ridiculous. No team can really say they will refuse to draft someone because they went to this one particular school, no team will limit themselves like that.
Back to Ryan Wilson. I am indeed a Hokie, I have watched Ryan Wilson since he became one, his dad was a friend of the family, and watching him become not only a good man but a hell of a football player has been a lot of fun. I have already said, and will say again, he is guilty of occasionally trying to do too much, case in point the 22 yard loss in the Sugar Bowl, the offense was beginning to sputter with penalties and ineffectiveness, he tried to right the ship with a big play when his o-line gave him nothing to work with. For the most part, David Wilson is a hard runner that is much more concerned with getting extra yards by using his lower body strength and balance and powering through arm tackles. I’d appreciate you not making it sound as if he is a scat back willing to lose yardage all the time, that’s all.
Alright relax, I got a little hasty on the guarantee that was dumb but you were to one that attacked me. Agree to disagree with the Falcons averting players from tech because we drafted 5 in 6 years leading up to 07 and we had 2 other hokies that we “coincidently” cut that year and we haven’t signed or drafted any players from tech since. I’m not saying we won’t ever draft a Hokie again and by no means do I hate tech I’m just saying I do think the organization has been avoiding tech players.
Back to David Wilson (honestly I wasn’t sure if you were talking about Ryan Williams or David Wilson at first) I just think he is a good college back thats all. Maybe he will prove me wrong and if he happens to come to Atlanta and do so I’d be ecstatic. I just don’t think he will be a good pro because I don’t like his style of running and if he is such a “hard runner” he is going to have to bulk up.
by Falconzfan284 on Feb 10, 2012 12:58 PM EST up reply actions
I’m surprised you claim to know much about David Wilson when you don’t know that he has broken a huge number of records in the Virginia Tech weight room. also, no one “attacked” you, just disagreed with your opinion….
I did put actually in all caps.
That wasn’t an attack but I can see how it could be a bit much. This is really all a big “agree to disagree” moment. I think David Wilson is much more than a speedy small-ish RB that did well in college. Falconz disagrees, it’s all good. I will recognize a severe lack of VT players in relation to years ago, but I think that could simply be due to the front office changes since.
Whoa!
That should definitely be brought in to look at. Nobody wants somebody that is willing to lose 22 yards on a run play to try and bust it open. Heck QB’s don’t even lose that when they are sacked. Reggie Bush wasn’t even that crazy at USC.
"The only person who has took more shots to the head than Tito Ortiz is his wife."
by that_falcon_fan on Feb 9, 2012 8:30 PM EST up reply actions
Small sample size.
Check the rest of the film if you like.
I definitely think...
He shows major potential. He has that quick Sproles-like speed, but puts his head own like a battering ram if needed. I think if he would have stayed another year, his draft stock would be higher than it is now.
"The only person who has took more shots to the head than Tito Ortiz is his wife."
by that_falcon_fan on Feb 10, 2012 7:52 AM EST up reply actions
...
I think if he would have stayed another year, his draft stock would be higher than it is now.
Completely agreed. He had so much more he could have learned, and so much more VT could have done on the national stage as a team with him there.
I think one more season...
under VT’s system could have graduated him into a first round pick. Especially if he would have had a huge senior season. But with that not happening, this could actually benefit the Falcons. If he would have went in the first round next year, we either A) could have not got him or B) had to use a first rounder on him. I have seen some reports that say he could drop to the 3rd round.
"The only person who has took more shots to the head than Tito Ortiz is his wife."
by that_falcon_fan on Feb 12, 2012 11:30 AM EST up reply actions
It is called an example dude, David Wilson is a very good college back I’m not trying to prove he’s not. In response to your other comment I used the word “attacked” because of the all caps, CubsFan understood that I don’t know you felt obligated to comment up there or down here.
by Falconzfan284 on Feb 12, 2012 2:46 PM EST up reply actions
Hahaha honestly man I read write over it but yea man your right, good find.
by Falconzfan284 on Feb 12, 2012 7:51 PM EST up reply actions
Turner is definitely WHAT????
Alex, I love this post, except for the first sentence…….i don’t think Turner is “definitely” anything for the Falcons in 2012. If we keep him, it will be because we released him and there were no takers. Ideally, we can get a 3rd or 4th round pick for him, but they may be wishful thinking – which leads me to my point………a feature back that no one would even want in a trade is not a feature back. There is money to be had here. Give me David Wilson in a 3 man rotation with Quiz and A, Smith (bye Snelling) and I’m in. That’s all we need and we save a lot of cash.
Any notion that the Falcons will pay Turner all that is due on his contract for 2012 is insane. He is clearly regressing and thus, is majorly overpriced. Hat tip to MT33 for serving us well (except cough in the playoffs)………time to move on.
It is getting close to that moving on point, but the reason I wrote that is from what I’ve recently read. They certainly could move him in some way, I just think that it won’t happen. He still had a pretty solid season. He looked tired down the stretch, but there were other issues i.e. groin injury, the line under performing, Ovie out.
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