Underrate Kyren Williams At Your Own Peril
It happens nearly every year, an over exaggeration of testing numbers, spurning what the film says leading up to the NFL Draft Instead, people clamor towards the “athletic upside," even if that upside is nowhere to be found on film.
In effect, we ignore what matters most, what happens between the lines. We often talk about the “athletic freaks” that rise throughout the process, but not enough attention is given to the players who don’t test well and seemingly fall off the face of the earth in effect.
There may be no better example of that than Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams. The former Irish star went into the draft process with expectations to hear his name called someone early on day two (rounds 2-3) during the draft.
Then the 2022 NFL Scouting Combine happened and the overreaction occurred. Make no mistake about it, it wasn’t pretty for Williams. His numbers across the board were troubling to say the least, including a subpar forty yard dash (4.65 seconds), vertical jump (32 inches) and broad jump (9’8”). Testing that way at just 5-9 and 194 pounds left a lot of uneasiness from NFL evaluators.
Admittedly, being small and “slow” is never a good combination. That, however, really undermines just how good of a football player Williams is. He has quickly gone from being considered one of the best running backs in the class to nothing more than a situational pass receiving specialist in the course of one workout.
Scouts and evaluators do their best to quantify as much information as they can throughout the process. That helps to cut down on the subjectivity of scouting but the truth is - that is impossible. The game is played by people, not numbers.
Williams isn’t just a series of numbers on a spreadsheet. Notre Dame faithful understand exactly what he has meant for this football team. Forget about the production for a second, which is impressive. It’s easy to quantify the 2,127 rushing yards over the last two seasons. That along with the 77 total receptions and 31 total touchdowns during that two year span is easy to admire.
That doesn’t tell the full story of Williams and his impact with the Irish.
For anyone who has watched this team closely over the last two seasons, you know that Williams has been the heart and pulse of this team. He plays with an infectious personality. The team has fueled off of his energy and tenacity he brings.
Williams being dubbed as a “third down specialist” isn’t fair to his overall skill set. Let’s start with the obvious, Williams does bring a tremendous baseline to the game on obvious passing downs. Williams played a high volume of snaps as a true wide receiver while at St. John Vianney in St. Louis, Missouri.
That experience translates onto the field, where Williams has the ability to line up all over the formation as a pass receiver. His natural feel and instincts in the passing game quickly pop off of the screen. He also has good hands and also profiles as arguably the top pass protector of any running back in the 2022 class.
That leads some people to project him somewhere in the James White and JD McKissic classification of running backs, which is a bit of a mistake.
There are clear instincts and traits as a pure runner that can not be understated. Williams’ combination of vision and patience profile well to a heavy inside zone scheme.
That patience took a huge step forward in 2021, playing behind a less than stellar offensive line for the majority of the season. Williams was forced to grow exponentially in that department, slowly letting blocks materialize in front of him.
The smaller back label is also going to drastically undersell Williams ability to consistently break tackles. He is a slippery runner who boasts notable contact balance and a propensity to create second effort opportunities. Williams breaks a ton of tackles, consistently finishing forward for hidden yardage.
That’s where the biggest misnomer is dispelled about Williams. There will be much more of a volume opportunity for Williams ideally at the next level. The comparison I continue to see in his game is former Atlanta Falcon star Devonta Freeman.
Both bring short but contact frames with outstanding contact balance and a low center of gravity. The packages for both can not be properly quantified by their size or any number associated with their pre draft process. It is the instinctual elements of Williams' game, the swagger he plays with.
It is going to be easy for people to pigeonhole him after the athletic testing. If one thing is certain, however, the past has shown that undervaluing Williams has never proven to be a wide decision.
Situation will be important for early success - as is the case for most running backs entering the professional ranks. It’s very possible that Williams could be the huge value at the position in the 2022 class. It’s only going to take one team, the right team, for everything to fall into place.
Here’s the last disclaimer - underrate Kyren Williams at your own risk.
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