Jamaal Williams: Green Bay Packers add multi-skilled running back with 4th round pick
Ted Thompson took a left turn with his second fourth round selection today in the 2017 NFL Draft when he plucked BYU running back Jamaal Williams from the ranks.
With the 134th pick in the draft, Williams comes to Green Bay with a lot of film showing him to be capable of catching the ball out of the backfield, the penchant for shedding tacklers and the will to finish runs.
At 6 feet and 212 pounds, Williams is also adept at blocking … a signature that every running back that plays in Green Bay must be able to turn into action.
However, not everyone is that excited about the skills that Williams brings.
Lance Zierlein of NFL.com wrote on the league’s website that “His NFL size and physical nature give him a shot to make the back-end of the running back depth chart, but his inability to create for himself with broken tackles and elusiveness puts a ceiling on his draft value.”
That’s not what lombardiave.com’s draft guru Dan Dahlke thinks. After today’s pick, Dahlke opined that the Packers made a solid pick in Williams.
“This guy is always falling forward and dragging defenders. One of the top RBs in yards after contact in the draft,” Dahlke said. “He’s a great one-cut runner. Very decisive in hitting the hole. He doesn’t dance around at the line of scrimmage. Solid in blitz pickup as well.”
Lombardiave’s Ralph Mancini, another staff writer who studies the draft intently, added, “Jamaal is a tremendous pass blocker and has some lateral agility.”
In his final year with BYU, Williams, according to NFL.com, “carried the mail for the Cougars 234 times in 2016, accumulating 1,375 yards and scoring 12 times, though he missed three games with an ankle injury. He finished fifth in the country with 137.5 yards per game last fall, in part thanks to a 287-yard, five-touchdown effort against Toledo before the ankle injury.”
His strengths, according to NFL.co, are as follows: “Carries NFL size with a muscular build and good height. Able to bend at point of impact and attack with decent leverage. Uses his stiff arm as a weapon to escape tackles on an angle. Decisive runner. Sees it and goes. Not into dancing. Has a functional spin move he uses to spin out of tackles and grind out a few extra yards. Keeps his feet churning through contact. Above average ball security with a fumble rate of 140 (one fumble every 140 carries).”
And as for weaknesses, consider this by NFL.com: “Bulls through running lanes crashing into blockers rather than shifting with the contours. Doesn’t have athleticism to create early yardage for himself. Missing a functional jump cut for sudden shift from gap to gap once line of scrimmage muddies. Hit or miss with run lanes he chooses. Excessive forward lean creates issues with contact balance. Too easily felled by arm tackles. Banger, but not a tackle-breaker. Doesn’t have the speed to turn the corner when runs spill outside.”
The biggest question is whether he will fit in Green Bay’s offensive scheme, whether he will make the team with special teams play and whether he will beat out the likes of Christine Michael and land on the 53-man roster.
As for today, he’s a Green Bay Packer and will be in the hunt for a spot on the team come September.
Next: Interview with Packers' fourth-round pick Vince Biegel
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