Why Javonte Williams is a Future Superstar

In the lead up to the draft process every single year we hear loads of prospects being labeled potential superstars. Many of these prospects never pan out or at least don’t live up to their draft hype. The pre-draft hype for Broncos running back Javonte Williams was certainly there. With all of the ridiculous tape and cold hard stats you’d imagine he’d be one of the best running backs in the league right away. Yet it seemed like scouts talked about him as a known quantity. So why is Javonte Williams a future superstar?

Tape

Image courtesy of Ron Chenoy

In Williams’ three year career at North Carolina he had his fair share of highlight worthy moments. But highlights are only good for Youtube views, it’s the tape that really matters. Luckily for Williams his tape is also stellar. Something that’s noticeable right away is the power that Williams runs with and how that contributes to his running style. Williams comes in at 5-foot-10 220 pound of what appears to be pure muscle. His size and athletic ability combined make him a great power-back, but he demonstrates way more than just physicality. One would assume that Williams would be the type of running back to keep his head down and bang into bodies, but it’s actually the opposite. Williams’ vision is a massive part of what makes him so good. His high level patience consistently leads to explosive runs which is shown in the video below.

http://https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kwv4Ek76rKg

Stats

Williams started to get involved in a big way during his sophomore season at North Carolina. After only toting the rock 43 times his freshman year Williams took off with 166 carries, and he didn’t waste those. That season Williams put up 933 yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Arguably the most important number to look at when evaluating running backs is yards per carry which is an area that Williams shines in. His yards per carry increased every year from 5.2 as a freshman to 5.6 as a sophomore then taking a massive leap to 7.3 his junior year. That yards per carry number is only one of the stellar figures he put up that season. In 2020, Williams amassed 1,140 yards on the ground with 19 touchdowns, he added 305 yards and three touchdowns as a receiver. Those stats have future superstar written all over them.

Longevity

Here’s one of the best parts about Williams, his potential longevity. He wasn’t the only backfield star at North Carolina as Jets running back Michael Carter was in his same class. Carter is a great player in his own right but was often overshadowed by Williams’ talent and production leading him to be seen as more of a second fiddle. That splitting of carries has the potential to be very good for Williams’ longevity. The less carries he has under his belt, the more tread left on his tires. Running backs often have shorter life spans in the NFL (unless you’re Frank Gore and will never age), power-backs especially. Luckily for the Broncos, Williams seems to have a ton left in the tank.

Image courtesy of Denver Broncos

Involvement

Potential is cool and all, but when will we see Williams play? Likely right away. Coming into the offseason the running back competition was between Melvin Gordon and Philip Lindsay. That changed when Lindsay was released and Gordon had the starting job for himself. But the Broncos made sure to add competition trading up for Williams in the early second round. So far in training camp there’s been a running back competition that seems to have Gordon a little on edge. Gordon snapped at local media for making this a competition, but with the talent and potential of Williams it has to be.

If the Broncos can keep its solid offensive line and give Williams some of the touches he needs there’s no doubt he’ll be a stud player. But if they make him the feature back they’ve got a superstar on their hands.

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