Rookie Review: Brandon Wilds

We're moving through our rookie contributors from 2016, and we're going to start getting down into the depths of the UDFA's now. As Brandon Wilds is still a Jet, I thought I'd quickly just recap his year.

It was no surprise to see Brandon go undrafted in 2016. He didn't have a bad career at South Carolina, in fact he climbed the depth chart after landing with the Gamecocks as their 5th choice RB his Freshman year. Unfortunately he never really did anything that made him stand out either.

He didn't really get much of a chance with the Jets. He was originally picked up by the Atlanta Falcons, who waived him in early September with an injury settlement. He was signed to the Jets practice squad in late September and actually appeared in four games with the Jets.

His numbers were what you'd expect from a 3rd string RB, who was an undrafted rookie getting his first taste of NFL football. 10 carries, 27 yards, 2.7 yards a carry with 2 receptions for 20 yards. Incredibly small sample size to judge someone on, but my opinion of him is based on what I saw during his limited snaps and his college career.

I don't think Wilds is a bad runner, but he just doesn't have that 'something' to make him stand out in the pro game. He's not that fast, he doesn't have much wiggle or patience, his balance isn't at a pro level and his hands are pretty average as well. If your line gives him 5 yards of room, he'll pick up 5 yards. He doesn't look like the kind of back who will create on his own.

The Jets have Matt Forte and Bilal Powell and are being heavily linked to Leonard Fournette and Dalvin Cook in the draft as well. For some reason, the coaching staff also seemed extremely interested in Khiry Robinson, who's currently a restricted free agent. I just don't see there being room for Wilds, especially as you can guarantee we'll pick up a couple of backs who went undrafted this year as well.