Running the ball can be a lot like winning a boxing match. It's not about the
knockout punch, rather it is about tiring your opponent out round, after round,
after round, after round and eventually, 12 rounds in, knocking them on their
ass. With running, it is not about how you run in the first quarter, it is about
how the ball is moving with four minutes left to go in the game (ask the Atlanta
Falcons about this). Since running the ball in a game of attrition a majority of
the time, it is important to find running backs who deal out punishment for four
quarters and force a defense to submit to them. BYU's Jamaal Williams is the
back who can deal out that punishment over a game. At 6-2, 220 pounds, Williams
looks more like a linebacker than a running back and he lowers his pads like
one, too.Williams had a tumultuous start to his career at BYU. After a few
promising seasons, Williams suffered a serious leg injury during the 2014 season
that kept him out for almost two years. Despite losing so much time to recovery,
however, Williams returned at full force, powering the BYU offense. He scored 12
touchdowns despite being the only big threat on the Cougar offense and facing
defenses keying on him
https://www.eaglesgoodsonline.com/39-Nigel_Bradham_Jersey.What
stands out about Williams is his power and his motor. He will bring the same
energy to the 30th carry in a game as he does to the first. His non stop, leg
churning, playing style is exhausting for a defense because it becomes such a
chore to try to tackle him. His natural power and balance are so good that wimpy
tackles barely phase him and running with a head full of steam makes him
difficult to square up with
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Color Rush Jersey. What is so rewarding about this running style is, after
four quarters, the defense is exhausted and beaten down by the physicality of
the run game. At that point, they just cave... William's game against Michigan
State is a microcosm of who he is as a player. He will give you 27 carries for
four, hard earned yards, and when the defense cannot take it any more he'll
break off a big run. His game is more than just natural power, however. He does
a good job changing direction for a taller
Bennie Logan
Color Rush Jersey, bigger back and his vision is very impressive. Williams
does a very good job working through the first level by finding the hole and
working through traffic. Sometimes backs with his type of ability will just
depend on their natural strength and speed to clear the first level of a defense
(See: Fournette, Leonard), but Williams' ability to keep himself clean for as
long as possible helps him gain yardage at the end of the run. Instead of trying
to run through a first level, Williams looking for daylight at the line is the
difference between a five yard gain, maybe, and a 40 yard gain. These are just
little things with Williams that make him so impressive. But, if he needs to
break tackles at the first level, he will. It is hard not to love Williams due
to his combination of size, strength, violent running style and non stop motor.
His consistency makes him even more lovable. Williams does a lot of very
impressive things, but what keeps him from being a top tier running back
prospect is that he lacks a top gear. As a lot of the examples show, he finds
himself in a lot of positions in the open field where many backs in this class
would score. Meanwhile he is often caught from behind. Also, Williams does not
have extensive experience catching the ball and his most productive season as a
receiver was in 2012. Neither of these things will keep Jamaal Williams from a
very productive back, but it is the difference between him being a good back and
a great one.NFL Comparison: Jamaal Williams is similar to one of my favorite
backs in the league for a while, Chris Ivory. While neither are great breakaway
athletes, their strength and violent running style make them very valuable in
the right offenses. Neither are going to contribute a ton in the passing game,
but can pass protect and, most importantly, make a big impact the other two
downs.Williams ability to move comfortably behind the line in junction with his
vision make him scheme diverse. I would argue that getting him going downhill in
a more power or gap oriented scheme would benefit him more, but he is the type
of back who could produce in any time of situation. The Eagles may love his
running style, but his lack of experience catching the ball could drop him in
value for the team. In general, it is hard to see Williams falling into the late
rounds. Even without top tier athletic ability and him having injury history
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Williams is too consistent of a back that a team will not want to snatch him up
before day two ends. Even in a stacked running back class, Williams does enough
to establish himself among the ten best backs this draft.
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