Kyren Williams Could Be a Top 5 Rookie Running Back in the 2022 NFL Draft

The RotoHeat rookie profile and NFL outlook for upcoming rookie running back Kyren Williams who is set to be drafted in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Kyren Williams Could Be a Top 5 Rookie Running Back in the 2022 NFL Draft

Kyren Williams could be a Top 5 Rookie Running Back in the 2022 NFL Draft

Bio

Kyren Williams attended St. John Vianney High School in Missouri. In High School, Williams totaled 2,957 rushing yards and 48 rushing touchdowns. He added 106 catches for 1499 receiving yards and 12 receiving scores. As a senior, he also received the award for St. Louis Metro Area Offensive Player of the Year. After graduating High School, Williams committed to playing college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish as a four-star recruit.

College

In college, Kyren Williams appeared in 25 games for Notre Dame over 3 seasons. Williams was named the starter as a sophomore and enjoyed strong seasons as a sophomore and a junior.

Throughout his college career, Williams has accumulated 2,153 rushing yards to go with 27 rushing touchdowns on 419 carries. He has added 675 receiving yards and 4 receiving touchdowns on 78 catches. In both his sophomore and junior seasons, Williams had over 1,300 scrimmage yards and 14 touchdowns or more.

NFL Outlook

Kyren Williams could be a Top 5 Rookie Running Back in the 2022 NFL Draft

Kyren Williams is the type of prospect who has the potential to be a breakout rookie running back, but his size/speed combination could also end up holding his draft stock and his potential back. Williams has had strong production in his college career, showing that he can produce as the featured back for an offense.

Kyren Williams is a patient one-cut runner who always attempts to hit the hole hard. His biggest weapon is his momentum and quick burst off of the cut. Despite his somewhat short size, he plays tough and physically, much akin to an Austin Ekeler that we know from the NFL. Williams has enough speed in open space to break long plays. What makes Williams an intriguing prospect is that he was a 2-year starter as a sophomore and junior, and he went out and won the starting job, despite barely having played as a freshman. This is exactly what he needs to do in the NFL.

Williams has shown at the college level, that he has a skillset fit to be a featured back, but the RotoHeat team still has concerns about his size. This makes the NFL combine and his height/weight measurements incredibly important.

Despite having very good hands (77 catches in two years as a college starter), some of the concern surrounding Kyren Williams is his lack of ability to make the first man miss. If he does not get to build his momentum he is often stopped if met in the backfield. This makes him very dependent on reading his blocks correctly and hitting the hole quickly. Williams does have good vision.

The feeling on the RotoHeat team is that Kyren Williams is likely to be a rookie running back selected somewhere in the third to fifth-round range of the 2022 NFL Draft. Where he is picked in the 2022 NFL Draft largely comes down to how he measures and runs at the NFL Combine. We see him run somewhere close to 4.5 in the 40-yard dash. NFL GMs will probably want to see Williams run a sub 4.5 and measure in at 5’9, close to 5’10 in order for him to be selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft.

Thank you for reading this breakdown of Kyren Williams. Where do you have him ranked among rookie running backs in the 2022 NFL draft?

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