It wasn’t a secret that the Los Angeles Rams were looking to add a running back in the 2022 NFL draft, especially with Sean McVay involved in the drafting process. In the fifth round of the draft, the Rams traded up to the 164th overall pick to select Kyren Williams out of Notre Dame.
Williams is a physical runner despite being only 200 pounds and is strong in pass protection. The Notre Dame product compiled 2,127 rushing yards and 27 rushing touchdowns in his final two seasons with the Fighting Irish, giving him plenty of production entering the NFL.
During his time at Notre Dame, Williams was also utilized in the passing game, hauling in 77 passes for 672 yards and four receiving touchdowns in his final two collegiate seasons. While having solid production can be a positive for a prospect, I’m iffy on Williams being a consistently productive running back at the next level.
Even though athletic testing isn’t the end-all, be-all for incoming rookies, Williams did not test well.
Kyren Williams was drafted with pick 164 of round 5 in the 2022 draft class. He scored a 3.52 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1059 out of 1632 RB from 1987 to 2022. https://t.co/aJGWwlZKl6 #RAS #Rams pic.twitter.com/MSnGqKbn2x
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2022
When watching Williams, there were times I was hoping to see more explosive speed from him and there were times when he strung out runs instead of cutting up the field. Also, fumbles were somewhat of an issue for Williams, totaling eight fumbles (four lost) in his last two years at Notre Dame.
Williams is capable in the passing game and he’s formidable in pass protection for his size, but it remains to be seen where he fits alongside Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. There were a couple of other running backs available that I believed were better fits for the Rams, though, I hope Williams proves me wrong and can produce with Henderson being a free agent in 2023.
