Ahmad Bradshaw has led the New York Giants in rushing the past two seasons, but he plans on taking another leadership role with running back David Wilson, the team's first-round draft pick.
"I plan on using him as my project," Bradshaw told the Giants' official website Monday. "He's a very talented running back and he's from Virginia. Two Virginia guys in this running back corps is going to be dangerous. I expect to use him as my project to get him better, to get him smarter and just to mature him a little bit, just to help him understand the NFL."
Wilson, drafted out of Virginia Tech, carried the ball 290 times for nine touchdowns and 1,709 yards in the 2011 season.
One of the first things Wilson will have to learn starting next week at the Giants' minicamp is New York's extensive playbook.
"As a Giant running back, it's one of the toughest things," Bradshaw said. "I don't see a lot of guys coming in and being able to grasp all of the different things you can do as a running back. You just have so many pass protections, so many pass route terms, so many run terms."
"That's when the word 'job' comes into play," Bradshaw explained. "When you first come in, you see all of these guys and you know it's strictly football. You don't have to worry about school and grades and different things. Now it's just straight football. You worry about this playbook and doing the right things, so when it comes time for you to make a play or come out to practice and be in the right position. Coming in, you have a lot of different things going through your head and you're trying to make the coaches happy, meeting new teammates. You worry about a little bit of everything when you first come in. That's why it's a good thing to come in and just be level-headed and be ready to learn."