Kyren Williams Scouting Report: Kyren Williams NFL Draft Prospect Report

 

Running Back, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, #23

 

Kyren Williams Measurements

5′ 9″ / 199 lbs

 

Kyren Williams Draft Prospect Player Profile

Kyren Williams is a former 4 star recruit out of St. John Vianney High School in St. Louis, Missouri. According to stl high school sports, during his senior year he ran for a total of 2,035 yards in only 179 attempts and 26 of those attempts were for touchdowns.

This efficiency carried over to the 2020 season, where he ran for a total of 1,125 yards in 211 attempts while scoring 13 touchdowns. I would argue that his college stats are more impressive than his high school stats. He is now playing against a lot better competition then he faced in high school. But as we can see, that has not stopped him from being one of the top running backs in the nation. After seeing his performance against Florida St. I can see his name flying up draft boards as the season goes on.

 

Kyren Williams Strengths

 

Elusiveness

Kyren Williams’ ability to make a defender miss is what I think separates him from the rest of the running backs in the 2022 NFL Draft Class. His quick feet allow him to shake a defender at the drop of a hat at any given time when he is on the field. He put this on display against Florida St. last week. Midway through the second quarter Williams lined up in the backfield and ran a beautiful curl flat route up the middle. He had his back turned to the defender and when he caught the ball he used his quick feet to make the defender miss and get the first down and then some.

Pass-Blocking

When watching the Notre Dame vs. Clemson game from November 7^th, 2020, I realized that part of the reason why Ian Book was able to throw for 310 yards against the very strong Clemson defense was because Williams was stepping up and making huge blocks to buy Book some time. He was able to let the play develop and make a good throw. Considering he is only 5’9” and sub 200 Lbs. it can be very difficult for him to stop some defensive linemen by himself.

Explosiveness

When I think of Kyren Williams, the first word that comes to mind is explosive. When he is lined up in the backfield, it is like Brian Kelly loads him in a cannon and fires it whenever Williams has the ball in his hands. Against Florida St. last week he had a 55 yard gain off of a screen pass early in the 3^rd quarter. After watching this play, I knew that his name would start flying up draft boards. The play I saw from him is already NFL caliber.

Kyren Williams Weaknesses

Frame

The only real weakness that I saw when watching Williams’ film is his small frame. This is a weakness because even though he is roughly 200 lbs. he struggles to break through contact and keep the play alive. With this being said, he plays a lot bigger than he is. His frame won’t really hold him back at the next level in my mind. Many lesser scouts can still see it as a red flag.  Kyren’s size may also be seen as a red flag when he is pass-blocking to some. His small frame limits him from getting in the way and stopping defensive linemen who are a lot bigger than him.

Final Thoughts on Kyren Williams

Kyren Williams has been a Swiss Army Knife for the Fighting Irish the past two years. He has the potential to have a similar role in the NFL. His blend of explosiveness and elusiveness is a solid foundation for any NFL bound running back.  As I stated earlier, you can always put on weight when you get to the NFL.  What you cannot do is learn and excel at the basic fundamentals. Williams has those for sure and he will make an instant impact on whatever team he is drafted by. When thinking of a current player that he reminds me of, I immediately thought of James White. White’s role on the Patriots is very similar to the role that Williams has on the Fighting Irish. They are both roughly the same size as well.

Finally, I think that Williams has what it takes to be very successful at the next level. He even has the potential to be a top running back in the league one day. If the draft were to happen tomorrow, I can see him getting taken in the late 2^nd round to early 3^rd round. Not as high as his teammate Kyle Hamilton unfortnately 

Kyren Williams Scouting Report by Matthew Lewis