David Wilburn

* x5 AP All Pro (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019)
* x2 NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2015, 2017)
* x1 Superbowl Champion (2016)

**David Wilburn** is an American football cornerback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for Stanford. Wilburn was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 2014 NFLHC Draft. He is widely regarded as the best cornerback in the NFL and has made the Pro Bowl every year of his career since joining the league.

## College Career

Wilburn attended Stanford for 4 years and declared for the NFL Draft in his Senior Season.

## Professional Career

To the surprise of many Wilburn stayed at Stanford for the entirety of his eligibility, making an announcement in his Junior season that he would return for his Senior Season. He stated that school was important to him and felt the additional year of development would help him transition to the Pros better.

Wilburn had an impressive Combine performance where he showcased an elite physical skill set. Some coaches were reportedly put off by his height but his combine solidified him as a top 10 pick in the upcoming draft. He was over 1/10 second faster than the other top Cornerback prospects and showed explosiveness with a strong vertical leap and in positional drills.

Wilburn was selected in the 1st round (8th Overall) in the 2014 NFLHC Draft by the Atlanta Falcons. He was the 2nd Defensive Back taken in the draft, Larry Reeves a Strong Safety out of Tennessee was taken 5th overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars. David was regarded as a steal at the time due to his elite skills at the Cornerback position from a technical standpoint with elite athletic ability to match.

### Atlanta Falcons

Wilburn immediately became the Falcons #1 corner upon being drafted. The falcons signed him to a five-year $50m rookie contract.

#### 2014 Season

Wilburn immediately emerged as one of the top players in the league during his rookie season. He showed an ability to consistently shut down players he was lined up against and also excelled when asked to adapt and play in zone coverage plays. In his rookie season he lead the league in interceptions and tackles by a defensive back. Wilburn showed more physicality to his game than in college and became well known for delivering big hits as well as showcasing elite coverage ability.

His play resulted in him being named AP All Pro as well as making the 2014 Pro Bowl

#### 2015 Season

2015 saw Wilburn have one of the best seasons ever for an NFLHC player. His play in the 2015 Season resulted in him being named 2015 Defensive Player of the Season and solidified his position as one of the leagues best cornerbacks and players.

He recorded a career high 9 interceptions and returned 3 for touchdowns.

As well as winning Defensive Player of the Year Wilburn also once again made the 2015 Pro Bowl and All Pro list.

#### 2016 Season

2016 saw the league encounter some changes. The quality of play across the league had improved exponentially since the inaugural NFLHC Season with teams putting together extremely competitive squads. This saw a lot less production from a statistical standpoint for Defensive Players with Offensive Units making less mistakes.

Wilburn still had an elite season as came to be expected, he was involved a lot more with plays closer to the line of scrimmage and had big contributions in defending the run, Falcons staff took advantage of Wilburns solid tackling ability, something seldom seen from defensive backs.

Wilburn lead the Falcons as a defensive captain to the Superbowl where the Falcons emerged victorious after beating the Indianapolis Colts 23-16.

Wilburn was once again named to the AP All Pro Team and the 2016 Pro Bowl.

#### 2017 Season

2017 was yet again a phenomenal year for Wilburn and was possibly the best of his career. Wilburn was noticeably more physical and finished the season with a career high 71 tackles. He also finished with 8 interceptions and was voted the second time as the NFL's best defensive player winning Defensive player of the year. It was Wilburns second time winning the award and cemented his place in the majority of people's minds as the best defensive player in the NFL.