Packers CJ Wilson: 2012 Player Evaluation and Report Card

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1) Introduction: CJ Wilson has quietly turned into a solid run-stuffing 3-4 DE after being drafted in the 7th round in 2010.  In 2011 Wilson and Jarius Wynn where thrust into the spotlight after Mike Neal landed on IR and Wilson couldn’t produce as a full time starter.  Hopefully as part of a defensive line rotation and spot duty on running plays Wilson could be more productive in 2012.

2) Profile:

Clifford James Wilson

  • Age: 25
  • Born: 03/30/1987, in Belhaven, NC
  • Height: 6’3″
  • Weight: 300
  • College: East Carolina
  • Rookie Year: 2010
  • NFL Experience: 3 years

Career Stats and more:

 

3) Expectations coming into the season: Fair.  As one of the Packers best run defenders, Wilson was expected to see a lot of time as the defense end in the base 3-4 defense but would likely be stepping out for obviously passing players for more accomplished pass rushers like Mike Neal.

4) Player’s highlights/low-lights: Wilson’s best performance in 2012 was against the Minnesota Vikings for the last game of the season where he recorded 1 quarterback hurry, 3 tackles and 3 offensive negative plays.  His worst performance was a leg injury that robbed him of 5 games.

5) Player’s contribution to the overall team success: Without Wilson in the lineup Adrian Peterson managed to run for 210 yards in the Packers first meeting.  In the second, Wilson was just getting settled back in after his injury, but it wasn’t until the wild card game where Wilson was an integral part of keeping Adrian Peterson from breaking free into the secondary.

6) Player’s contributions in the playoffs: While Wilson did contribute to stopping Adrian Peterson and Joe Webb, he definitely didn’t do much against Frank Gore or Colin Kaepernick, which ultimately lead to the Packers getting knocked out of the playoffs.

 

Season Report Card:

(C) Level of expectations met during the season

(C-) Contributions to team’s overall success.

(C-) Contributions to team during the playoffs

Overall Grade: C-

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Thomas Hobbes is a staff writer for Jersey Al’s AllGreenBayPackers.com.

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11 thoughts on “Packers CJ Wilson: 2012 Player Evaluation and Report Card

  1. Expectations are a sham on this one.

    Almost every Packers fan who stated anything about CJ Wilson prior to the 2011 season believed he was a complete waste of space and a bust.

    I know this for a fact, as I was one of the few people who attempted to tell people who were trashing CJ Wilson regularly, “Dude, watch the game, he played well.” After which I was usually mocked and ridiculed.

    1. if a player makes the team as a 7th round pick it is hard for anyone to say they are a bust. I assumed he would be in the mix atleast as a rotational player. the fact that he starts does not mean he is a good player, just a role player on a team with little talent in base 3-4 DEs.

      1. Typo, I meant before the 2012 season, not 2011.

        And, go ahead and roll back to prior to the 2012 season, and find some posts where CJ Wilson was heralded as “one of the Packers best run defenders”, or, find posts where he was “Expected to see a lot of time at DE in base”.

        Sorry, those sentiments simply did not exist in the Packers’ fan base. I know this because *I* was always lambasted for suggesting such.

        Towards the end of the 2011 season, I had made a post directed to the usual throng of Wilson-bashers, blaming him for being a waste of space and revolving door, and I told them to go back and watch the film, he actually was playing very well in his limited snaps. I was ignored and ridiculed by most, I think Aaron Nagler was the only guy who actually bothered to take a peek, and he replied that he had indeed rewatched, and was surprised to find he agreed with me.

        Other than than, I can’t think of a single time I have ever read a scrap before the 2012 season about CJ Wilson being an even average run defender or having any expectations of playing time.

        1. And you’re still hard pressed to find much love from the fan base. The guy is useful, nice to have around as a backup, has specific talents (though not great) and decided limitations.

    2. I guess the caveat is expectations based on fans or expectations based on the team/numbers. For instance, I would wager fans would have expected Donald Driver to play a lot more than he did, but the team (based on his pay cut) and his decline numbers pretty much said he wouldn’t be playing very much.

  2. wilson played okay. no pass rush is a downer, good run defense is his forte. good grade, average player, he has a place on this team for the next several years.

    1. Strange thing is, Wilson was known for being a pass rushing lineman in college.

      Makes you wonder if it’s just the level of competition, or his assignment, or a combination of both.

  3. CJ Wilson was okay, but you will not have a championship defense with CJ Wilson starting at DE. He is a nice backup.

  4. Situational player at best. Can’t, won’t or is instructed not to play on the oppenents side of the line. Not the kind of aggressiveness needed to take the D a step in the right direction. OK as a backup.Nothing more.

    1. Not everyone can be a great player in every way. Why can’t a guy be a role player and get a higher grade? If he’s performing his role at a very high level then he deserves a higher grade IMO. I guess anyone not named Rodgers and Matthews deserves a C then. Teams are full of role players, much more so than Stars. They should still be able to get a higher grade if they performed their role very well.

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