NFL Tickets
David Wilson was selected with the last pick in the first round this year by the New York Giants to help revive a running game that ranked last in the NFL last season. That hasn’t materialized as of yet but it might soon change. After some early miscues that landed him in Tom Coughlin’s doghouse, Wilson is slowly emerging as more than just an explosive weapon on special teams.
Of all of the Giants running backs, Wilson might be the most explosive weapon the Giants have. Any time he touches the ball he is a threat to break a big gain. So far, he has just 17 carries for 89 yards but he has slowly been getting a few reps with the offense in games, something that looked impossible at one point this season.
Ahmad Bradshaw is still the starter for the Giants, as long as his health holds up. Andre Brown has shown he can be a viable option in Bradshaw’s place. However, Wilson is slowly beginning to creep into the picture.
When he was finally given a chance to get out of Coughlin’s doghouse against the Cleveland Browns, Wilson responded by getting his first career touchdown, running 40 yards for the score. He finished the day with two carries for 44 yards and a touchdown. The next week against the San Francisco 49ers, Wilson had seven carries for 35 yards, including a 20-yard run.
While he hasn’t had a lot of carries as of late, just three carries in the last four games, he is emerging as a weapon in the return game averaging over 25 yards per return and has almost broken free on a couple of kickoff returns.
Perhaps Wilson’s biggest bugaboo this year has been his difficulty adapting to picking up blitzes. That could kill any running back expected to play significant amounts of time in running and passing situations. I think once he figures out how to pass protect he might be slated for a much bigger role in the Giants offense. For now, he will have to settle for doing all he can in the return game on special teams while he awaits his big break.
Share 
