This is week four of my underestimated player spotlight, and I am focusing on another offensive player. This athlete is a running back who has been overshadowed by others in his position for most of his career. Now, with a big trade, he is about to turn into an even more underrated player. This week’s underestimated player spotlight is about Jeff Wilson Jr., running back for the San Francisco 49ers.
Player Spotlight: College
Jeff Wilson Jr. attended the University of North Texas for four years before entering the NFL. In those years, he totaled 3,204 yards in 561 rushing attempts, according to Sports Reference. He also averaged 5.7 yards per carry. This is a great average for a running back, insinuating that every two attempts could get him and the team a first down.
Wilson totaled 32 rushing touchdowns in four years as well. Running the ball is not all the running back can do though. In college, he also totaled 527 yards from 70 receptions and scored two touchdowns. It is important for running backs to be able to catch too in order to keep the opposing defense on their toes. This is one of the reasons Wilson makes this week’s player spotlight.
Wilson’s senior year was his best season and was also a bowl year for North Texas. In 2017, Wilson totaled 1,215 yards for 188 rushing attempts. Out of his 32 total touchdowns, 16 came from his senior year. Despite having no receiving touchdowns, he totaled 168 yards for 24 receptions as well. North Texas is a part of the Conference USA, which is not a competitive conference that people know well. To be able to still stand out in such a low conference demonstrates the impact that Jeff Wilson Jr. has.
Player Spotlight: Career
Jeff Wilson Jr. has been with the San Francisco 49ers his entire career. The 49ers added Wilson to their team as an undrafted free agent in 2018. According to the 49ers website, Wilson grew up close to where star running back, Adrian Peterson grew up. Wilson and his father attended Peterson’s high school football games to learn the way Peterson played. A player this dedicated is still underestimated across the league, deserving this week’s player spotlight.
In his five years with the 49ers, including the 2022 season, there has always been one running back to outshine him. This year, running back Elijah Mitchell sprained his MCL, giving Wilson the chance to start more games. Recently the 49ers traded for star running back, Christian McCaffrey, causing Wilson to once again be outshined. According to Pro Football Reference, Wilson has only been a starter in 15 games, despite playing in 45.
Although he has not played in too many games, Wilson has totaled 1,733 rushing yards from 390 rushing attempts. He also has 15 rushing touchdowns and four receiving touchdowns. In addition to rushing the ball, Wilson totals 387 yards for 45 receptions. What truly gives Wilson the role of being in a player spotlight is that he has totaled 95 rushing first downs and 18 receiving first downs. This is critical for any offense to have a player who will fight to keep the offense on the field.
Player Spotlight: 2022 Season
After running back Elijah Mitchell went down with the MCL sprain in week one, Wilson became the starter for this 49ers offense. Despite the team also making a trade for McCaffrey, Wilson still has 92 rushing attempts for 468 yards according to ESPN. Averaging 5.1 yards per carry has been crucial for the 49ers this season, giving the team more chances to keep their offense on the field. Pro Football Reference lists Wilson as gaining 23 rushing first downs and three receiving first downs.
Pretty soon Mitchell will be back from his injury, and McCaffrey will be getting most of the snaps. This will unfortunately will push Wilson down as the third running back. There have been reports of Wilson getting traded if an offer arrives, but as of the moment this is being written that has not happened.
Many 49ers fans do not want Wilson to be traded. With a history of injuries, it may be smarter for the 49ers to keep three reliable players on the team. This also opens up the playbook of having three offensive threats at the running back position. Wilson will only become more underestimated when Mitchell comes back but still deserves to be in this player spotlight.
The 49ers currently have a bye week, then will face the Los Angeles Chargers for Sunday Night Football. The team will take this week to get healthy, then push to win the NFC West.
For more NFL and NCAA football content:
Check out my previous Underestimated Player Spotlight to see who I chose last week. Also, check out my most recent article on the Penn State safety changes made ahead of their game against Ohio State.
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