James Wilder Jr.

I am starting to really think that James Wilder Jr. may be one of the top RBs in this draft. He looks like Ricky Watters on steroids, can catch, is a powerful downhill runner with a tremendous amount of burst and a "nose for the endzone".

I know there are a lot of cliches there but he seems to dive, burst and twist his way into the endzone which is why I said "nose for the endzone" though I am not a fan of the overuse of that term.

What do you guys think?

What do I think?

https://draftcalc.com/forums/discussion/16104/my-2014-rookie-ranks

In the right spot, I think he can be solid, but I'm not as sold as @lukeb5301 . I could be wrong, I admit I misjudge Lacy, although I still have serious long-term worries. So, I'm not right about the rooks all the time, but looking at these two players, i see Tre Mason as the runner with top 5-10RB upside. I am not so sure (for now) I see that kind of potential in Wilder Jr., who is very, very upright... too upright for me, but a few players in the past have had success despite this, and AP was said to run too upright, and he lowered his style a bit and clearly dominated. So anything is possible, but watching these two, and given that right now Wilder doesn't run conventional at all, Mason screams stud if drafted to start:

Wilder Jr.

Tre Mason

Mason may look small, but he is Gio Bernard with much, much, much stronger legs. I've heard people describe Mason as a big back in person despite the size. He is no small rusher, he is built uniquely. He is a Jamaal Charles type talent (no, not comparing them career trajectory wise, just in terms of style), but Mason has a touch more grind it out ability due to the massive legs/lower body.

@Smitty I agree I love me some Mason.

Again, not closing the door on Wilder Jr. or anything, the right spot can do wonders for any player (look at Priest Holmes, Arian Foster, clearly players that benefited from situations, as they were/are no Emmitt Smith or Barry Sanders or Adrian Peterson talents. I just see Wilder Jr. as a Chris Brown type. Remember him from TEN? He was, if I remember right, a top 15 overall pick heading into his second year, ran just like Wilder Jr. He looked promising, but Wilder has to run lower or he will end up like Chris Brown after 1-2 years, if he get a shot to start.

He looks like a later pick, but sometimes those picks are good situations when all is said and done.

Mason is the train I've been on all offseason...

Wilder... Whew... One of the reasons he chose FSU is because we committed to him to be a RB... A lot of schools were recruiting him as a LB...

At that time I really thought he could be a stud RB for us, but it never really happened.. He showed flashes, but nothing really popped off the screen ever IMO... Maybe we under-utilized him? I don't know... I just don't think he's going to be anything special, though I certainly hope for the best.

I'd say Wilder is TJ Duckett with less hype..

One thing that struck me with Wilder is his lack of agility. He took a lot of hard hits but i have a hard time seeing him last. He is huge no doubt, but he seemed very stiff! I have a hard time seeing him be a sucess.

Yeah, watching those two videos above alone (and there is more to a player than one youtube video, but..), Mason screams out at ya, while Wilder looks choppy, and straight upright. @payton34, almost like a LB that just picked off a pass.

Dcaster said:

One thing that struck me with Wilder is his lack of agility. He took a lot of hard hits but i have a hard time seeing him last. He is huge no doubt, but he seemed very stiff! I have a hard time seeing him be a sucess.

ADcaster Agreed. Situation can change, but teams aren't super high on him now, that's for sure, and that means he isn't 'likely' (anything can happen, though) to land as a starter. Climbing out of a RBBC is his likely situation in 2014+.

Smitty said:

Dcaster said:

One thing that struck me with Wilder is his lack of agility. He took a lot of hard hits but i have a hard time seeing him last. He is huge no doubt, but he seemed very stiff! I have a hard time seeing him be a sucess.

ADcaster Agreed. Situation can change, but teams aren't super high on him now, that's for sure, and that means he isn't 'likely' (anything can happen, though) to land as a starter. Climbing out of a RBBC is his likely situation in 2014+.

He is a beast of a man. It will be fun to see the situation he ends up in. He could find a role to fill I am sure. Is everybody else as ready for the draft as I am!! When is it? Next week? Please! :((

Sorry I don't read anything that has a highlight tape attached to it

Lol. SMH.

LukeB5301 said:

Sorry I don't read anything that has a highlight tape attached to it

Well at least this thread can be a good link to pass along to those you're trying to acquire him from! ;) use it to diminish his value ;)

I know you like him @lukeb5301 and I actually respect your rookie scouting a lot, so some knowledge from the "lukeb" college would be awesome, I would love to hear your take. Honestly, it's great to get both sides, buddy!

Drop some (knowledge!)!

Now I have heard a lot of good things about our OTHER RB Devonte Freeman.... A lot of teams apparently like what they see there..

Howdy, Stranger!

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