James Wilder  6' 2" 219lbs. ATH 2011

There might not be a more freakish athlete and more impressive prospect from a size to speed standpoint than Wilder II. The NFL lineage is definitely apparent when watching him shred opposing defenses as a running back but we feel his best upside may lie on defense as a disruptive edge player. He has great height and body length as a projected outside linebacker. His frame is layered with vascular bulk and he could easily pack on another 15-20 pounds which makes defense more likely, potentially end. He is a natural pass rusher with his great first-step quickness, long wingspan to create separation and explosive closing burst to collapse the pocket. Has a tight waist and displays the good fluidity needed to bend and play flat down the line of scrimmage. He

is a defender that definitely needs to be blocked on every play as he blends a great motor with excellent range and sideline-to-sideline speed. He is an intense defender and plays the game extremely fast and physical. However, he does have the luxury of playing in a defense that allows him to attack vertically off the edge without a lot of read and recognition skill-set required. More of an upfield vertical guy who will have an adjustment playing in space as a true second level linebacker; he's a bit straight-lined. Strong at the point of attack with his hands though and should develop into a good downhill run stopper as well as a guy who can also turn and match up in space with his athleticism. On offense, he is deceptively quick through the hole and can change direction sharply and slice through smaller creases for a bigger back. Sees the cutback open quickly. A one-cut and go, stick his foot in the ground and explode North type of back and complete load to take down when he breaks free into the second level. Gains momentum and power quickly through second level. Not going to tackle this guy high as he powers through arm/tackles and is simply a nightmare for smaller DBs to come up and hit when breaks through the second level. A real finisher who will fight for every last yard, keep his legs driving through contact and earn a ton of yards after contact. Type of back you feed the rock to and watch him get stronger as the game progresses and wear down a defense. While a power-back, his height and longer frame are a concern from a durability standpoint. Shows he can make the first defender miss through the hole and jump-cut, but is more of a North-South back than a pick and slide zone runner. Upright cuts are a concern. Not real elusive but does show he can reach top speed quickly and rip off 15-20 bursts on any given carry. Wherever he lines up at the next level we feel Wilder has enough physical tools and ability to be dominant. May make more of an immediate impact on offense but future may be brighter on defense. . . ..........................        Intangibles                        9 ...    Athleticism                        8      Size                        8   ...  Strength                        8      Quickness                        8      Ball skills                        7      Speed                        8      Cut back                        8      Potential                        10      Technique                         7 Overall score   81

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