FanPost

why we don't want David Wilson


I'm all for drafting a running back this year, especially in the first. Having two picks late round 1 gives us a great opportunity to get a top RB while not ignoring another position of need. David Wilson, out of VT, is NOT the answer though. I have seen mocks on here with the bengals using 17 or 21 on either Trent Richardson or Lamar Miller, either of which would be just fine with me. But I have also seen a couple with Wilson. While he is a good running back with great speed and good size for sure, there is one huge reason that he should not be on another mock, and hopefully he will not be selected by the Bengals in the first couple rounds:

More important as Virginia Tech gets ready for its pivotal matchup with Virginia is Wilson’s penchant for putting the ball on the ground this season. After fumbling in the Hokies’ past two games, the speedy tailback now has seven this year.

The last thing we need is another Ced Benson to come in and fumble away our chances of getting W's. Just as (if not more) disturbing as his habit of losing the ball is his cavalier attitude about it. He seems to think "fumbles happen" (actual quote from article). No David, fumbles don't just happen. Look at Trent Richardson, he has 1 fumble in his career of over 600 touches. Is he just lucky? No, he carries the ball high and tight with 5 points of pressure (http://www.ehow.com/how_2210326_hold-football-through-offensive-line.html). By using correct fundamentals, fumbles are no longer an issue.

Not for Mr. Wilson, or even his coaches:

Shane Beamer thinks Wilson’s fumbles as more of a reflection on how much and how hard he has carried the ball this year, and that when Wilson is fighting to break tackles, it’s inevitable a defender will come in and try to strip the ball. He used the fumbling issues Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson had in the past as an example.

“When you carry it as many times as David has — you hate to say it — but it’s gonna happen,” Beamer said.

I would hardly say Wilson carries the ball "harder" than Trent, who gained 48% of his total yards after contact. Maybe he can learn the correct way to carry a football in the future, but I think I'd rather spend a first round pick on someone who already knows how.

(quotes from this article from the November 23 Washington Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/hokies-journal/post/virginia-tech-not-worried-about-david-wilsons-fumbles/2011/11/23/gIQAnnp8oN_blog.html)

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