Williams is a popular name amongst Steelers fans, but where does he truly fit as a prospect in the 2021 draft class?
The Steelers are on a mission to fix their running game in 2021, and more than likely a new running back will enter the fold as the starter. While Najee Harris is the king of the running backs in this class, Javonte Williams has quite the following of fans. Williams has plenty of positive traits to his game. Here is a breakdown of the good, the bad, and where his projection should be in this draft.
Metrics:
5’9, 212 pounds
2020 stats: 1445 total yards, 22 total scores
Tape studied: Miami, Virginia Tech, Notre Dame, Virginia
Without a doubt, Williams was one of the top producers at the running back position in 2020. He was used all over the field and at times, the dynamic North Carolina offense ran through him. This resulted in an extremely strong statistical season for Williams, as he netted nearly 1500 total yards and was a consistent threat to score.
At his pro day, Williams actually was a little disappointing. He ran a 4.58 40-yard dash, which indicates some issues with his straight-line speed. On the plus side, his overall athleticism tested well enough, as none of the other major numbers came in low. Based on his testing, Williams seems like more of a quick burst but lacking long speed option in the NFL. He is a threat to get chunks of yards, but he isn’t a threat to break away long runs. His tape seems to back this up, but it doesn’t take away from his overall positives.
Williams Pros
The first thing that pops on tape is the power that Williams runs with. While he only weighed in at 212 pounds, he is a punishing runner that rarely goes down on first contact. While he can be swarmed at times, in space a single defender rarely stops Williams. On the goal line and in short-yardage, he doesn’t shy away from lowering his head and taking on contact. Long term, his physical style of running could wear him down and lead to injuries later on, but it should lead to a physical presence in an offense in the short term.
Beyond his pure power, Williams has great burst and decent vision. Despite lacking pure speed, Williams was dominant when cutting to the outside and turning the corner. He relies on sharp cuts and initial burst to make this succeed. This gets him in space more often and allows for some one-on-one matchups that he can win against defenders.
While not a natural pass-catcher or route runner, Williams does enough to serve as a decent pass-catching running back. He isn’t Alvin Kamara, but he has a similar feel to James Conner as a receiver. He is someone that can make a decent catch and gain some additional yards as a check-down option as opposed to a pure receiver.
Tying it all together, Williams relies on his initial traits like vision and burst to open up his running lanes. Once in space, his power kicks in and he looks for ways to run over opposing defenders. Despite the lack of pure speed, he can make some big plays solely due to him getting past the line of scrimmage and breaking the first tackle in route to a solid gain.
Williams Cons
His power was the first thing that popped up on tape, and the second was his long speed. Even in his most dominant game against Miami, his long speed is constantly a problem. He cuts to the outside, breaks a tackle, and is off to the races only to be tracked down by an opposing defender down the field. As stated before, Williams won’t be a homerun threat, but he should be able to pick up chunks of yards instead.
The next major concern is his ability in between the tackles. While he is strong and powerful, he folds pretty easily when swarmed by the defense. This was on display in his game against Notre Dame. The offensive line consistently lost their battles up front and Williams struggled to bounce his runs to the outside. This resulted in him driving up the middle for little to no gain. While all running backs benefit from a good line, it seems like Williams will need one in order to be a true top running back.
Finally, his pass-catching skills weren’t that impressive. While he has the stats to indicate him being a good receiving back, more of that is due to his ability in space as opposed to his route running or hands. He isn’t a natural pass catcher and can rely on his body too much at times. His routes aren’t anything special either. He can serve in that role well enough, but his receiving game is very reminiscent of Conner (good, not great.)
Williams Projection
After reviewing his game, Williams is a good running back prospect who would fit well with what the Steelers are looking for. His game looks like a better version of Conner. He has more burst and vision at the line, but he has that similar issue of long speed is a concern. His playstyle seems like a fit for the Steelers.
While he is getting some first-round hype, I personally don’t see it. Williams does a lot of things well, but he will still need to be put behind a really good offensive line if he wants to be a dominant running back at the NFL level. With the Steelers rebuilding their line, he may not have the best rookie season as this line begins to rebuild itself. That said, his ability to make plays on the outside can help him succeed with even an average line.
For the Steelers specifically, I would have no trouble taking Williams in the second round assuming he falls that far. Anything before that, even a trade back into the early second round, would be a price too high for me. His tape was solid, and his play should translate well to the next level. He runs with the power that the Steelers love, so he should fit well into the offense. As long as the line improves in the run game enough, Williams should be able to find success with this team assuming they were to draft him.