NFL Draft Profile: Brandon Wilds

College Career In Review:

Brandon Wilds career at South Carolina had many high and lows. Gamecock fans first impression of Wilds was in 2011 against eastern division foe Tennessee, the week after star running back Marcus Lattimore tore his ACL at MississippiState. He made his first career start against the Vols and rushed 28 times for 137 yards. Since, Wilds has always been a part of the offensive game plan but never was consistent enough to become the All-SEC caliber back many thought he would emerge into. Injuries sidelined Wilds many times throughout his career, but has not sustained any long term severe injury. Wilds finished his career at South Carolina with 1844 rushing yards on 379 attempts with 16 total touchdowns.

Strengths:

With the football lifetime of NFL running backs being so short, Brandon Wilds being a bigger back at 6'1'' 220lbs is intriguing to NFL organizations. With his size, Wilds isn't afraid of contact with or without the ball in his hands. He can get you those extra yards in the trenches of be used as a lead blocker. He doesn't possess the greatest speed, but factor in his size, he moves well.

Weaknesses:

Very unbalanced. He runs with his pads parallel to the ground but has issues staying on his feet when he reaches the second level past the line of scrimmage. While athletic for his size, he has trouble staying on his feet long enough to give himself the ability to make defenders miss. Even when he does, his elusiveness is not at a level where he could make many defenders miss in open space. This is what hurts his chances as a truly effective back in the NFL against very athletic linebackers. This could cause him to develop into a fullback potentially.

What They're Saying:

From NFL.com

Provided decent production during his run at South Carolina, but he never became the go­-to chain mover that South Carolina hoped he might become. Wilds runs hard and will usually get what?s blocked, but he's lacking the creativity or athleticism to transcend his South Carolina tape.

-Lance Zierlein

Draft Projection:

Brandon Wilds is an interesting player, but not interesting enough to see many teams take a risk on him as a draft pick. You can never count out any player being drafted in the 7th round, but look for him to go un-drafted. He will definitely be picked up as Free Agent and will be given the opportunity to show-out as a specialty player to get a few yards here and there, if he develops correctly. He may even be asked to switch positions and bulk up even more as a fullback. Wilds has intriguing physical features about him and his 5 year experience in the SEC has to speak for something, but his overall body of work and athleticism needed in an NFL back is not there completely.