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David Wilson: Is 'great talent' ready for great responsibility?

With Ahmad Bradshaw having been released, David Wilson is now the Giants' primary running back. Is he ready for the role?

David Wilson runs with the ball
David Wilson runs with the ball
Elsa

Ahmad Bradshaw has done a considerable amount of talking since being released by the New York Giants a week ago. His future is often part of the conversation, of course. Another topic has been asked about is the man who will replace him as the starting running back with the Giants -- 2012 first-round pick David Wilson.

"He is a great talent," Bradshaw said on "NFL AM." "He is lightning fast. A lot of his talent comes from his speed, how quick he is. If he can stay focused, he will be very good asset to the Giants just with his speed and what he brings to the game."

There were many questions from the fan base during the 2012 season about why Wilson's role in the offense was limited in 2012. He carried the ball only 71 times and barely sniffed the field during a two-game stretch where Bradshaw -- with Andre Brown out -- carried 57 times in two games.

Ready or not, Wilson will get to be the "lead dog" general manager Jerry Reese said recently he thinks Wilson can be.

There was plenty of talk about whether or not Wilson could pass block last season. There was also talk at times that perhaps Wilson wasn't completely comfortable with the offense yet -- something he seemed to confirm during an interview with Giants.com this week.

"In college, it’s a little bit more simple," Wilson said. "The playbook is a lot more simple than the NFL playbook, and there are a lot more audibles, especially when you’ve got a quarterback who knows everything that’s going on. Eli, if he sees something wrong, he’s going to change it. So you’ve got to know what he’s talking about."

With a season under his belt the Giants have handed Wilson the keys to the running game. They are obviously banking on his comfort level catching up to his talent.