Jeff Wilson is almost unrecognizable to his teammates on game days. The San Francisco 49ers running back enters a "dark place" and seemingly becomes a different person, laser-focused on the task at hand.
"Jeff Wilson goes to a dark place before every single game," tight end George Kittle said in October. "It's different than it is in practice. You can tell he's angry. He attacks it. He wants contact. He deals contact. He delivers pain. It's awesome. You can just see it in his eyes. He's a totally different person. The way he runs and things, it's crazy. ... He has one of my favorite mindsets."
On Friday afternoon, Wilson sat down in a conference room at the Renaissance Hotel in Glendale, Arizona, and spoke with reporters via Zoom. Naturally, he was asked about that "dark place" and what is going through his mind while in that zone.
"I just feel almost unstoppable," Wilson said. "I fear no one. I don't look at size. I don't look at any of that. It's just me and the ball. It's just me and the playing field. I don't know. It just brings me a lot of joy. I don't know. I just turn into a different person, and just be locked in."
Wilson went on to explain that his "dark place" is a product of his life experiences.
"I've been through a lot," Wilson shared. "I've endured a lot. It's just all that kind of comes out, I guess you could kind of say. And all the things that have ever happened to me, and all the things that I couldn't do nothing about or I can't speak on, I just kind of let it all out [on the field]."
Wilson entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of North Texas. He is in his third NFL season and has 68 carries for 281 yards and five touchdowns through nine games and one start. Wilson has also added nine receptions for 100 yards and another score.
Wilson ran over New England Patriots players on his way to 112 yards rushing and three touchdowns during that one start. The performance earned him FedEx Ground NFL Player of the Week honors.
"I've always personally felt that I have no limits to my game," Wilson added. "It's just kind of getting an opportunity to show it, and when you get that opportunity, you have to. If you don't, somebody else will. That's just the way it is. But that urgency behind me, it just all helps."