De’Runnya Wilson has yet to find a NFL home
Former standout Mississippi State wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson has yet to find a team to play for in the NFL.
In a bizarre, sad and unfortunate set of circumstances, it appears as though Bear Wilson played a game of musical chairs and was the odd man out. He has yet to sign with an NFL team.
Reports immediately following the NFL Draft had him signing with the New England Patriots. Even the Boston Globe was saying he would be joining the team’s list of undrafted free agents.
But this week ESPN is reporting that De’Runnya Wilson did not sign a contract with the Patriots:
"There was some confusion on the Patriots-based status of undrafted Mississippi State receiver/tight end De’Runnya Wilson, an intriguing prospect from a traits perspective (6-foot-4 ⅝, 224 pounds, 80.5-inch wingspan). Wilson had posted the Patriots’ logo on Instagram with his picture, and the Clarion-Ledger reported he was joining New England. But there was a breakdown somewhere along the way, and when I reached out to Wilson’s agent, Rodney Edwards, on Saturday, he said Wilson is not with the club."
This is pretty tough news for Wilson – who caught 905 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2015.
He was “raw” coming out of high school but once he stepped on campus at Mississippi State he started getting rave reviews. He immediately took the field as a freshman and early on it was clear to seemingly everyone he would be leaving MSU early for the NFL.
Even prior to his statistically dominant junior season, most predicted a 1st or 2nd round draft choice in the 2016 draft.
He did have a run in with the law last spring break when he was arrested for marijana possession. But after a stellar year on the field it appeared that he was a shoe-in to be drafted high.
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The NFL combine did not do him any favors. His vertical leap was criticized and he ran a 4.85 forty yard dash. For a wide receiver, that’s just really really bad.
So, because of that bad showing at the combine it appeared as though he might drop in the draft. Maybe the 5th round, or the 6th….maybe even the 7th. But then he went undrafted.
But surely he’ll be picked up in no time, right? It appeared as though that happened but apparently not. Rumors of him only trying out but the Patriots not making an offer have surfaced. Either way, he’s not on an NFL roster right now.
How can this be? You saw what he did at Mississippi State. He was an incredible threat all over the field and especially in the red zone. 6′-5″ receivers with strong hands aren’t something to just throw out the door.
There is something we don’t know about here.
There have also been rumors that Dan Mullen pleaded with Bear not to enter the draft because he wasn’t ready. I don’t know if that’s true but if it is: players need to listen to Dan Mullen’s advice!
Hopefully it will all work out for De’Runnya Wilson. It certainly stings for MSU fans because he would’ve been a valuable part of the 2016 team and it stings even more for him personally. Good luck, Bear.