Kyren Williams

Kyren Williams carried the rock over 400 times for 2,000-plus yards as a member of the Fighting Irish over the past two seasons, putting together a very impressive resume for NFL scouts to consider. Whether it be rushing or receiving, Williams got it done for his team.

He finished 13th in yards after contact per attempt (3.71), seventh in broken tackles on rushes and third in receptions among running backs in his draft class. 

Williams' smaller stature may hold him back from being a full-fledged fantasy bell-cow at the next level, but he is sure to make up the gap with his impressive pass-catching background. In addition to finishing as PFF's 13th-highest graded receiving running back in the nation, Williams commanded an 11% target share in 2021 - a very high mark for the position. 

The receiving usage helped Williams achieve a 30% dominator rating.

And that's where the accolades end for Williams because his poor combine outing nuked his real-life draft capital. 

For starters, he came in underweight at 5-foot-9 and 194 pounds. Williams was already facing an uphill battle due to his small stature, so coming in lighter than his listed playing weight (199) was not a sign of good preparation.

He would follow up his disheartening weigh-in with an abysmal 4.65 40-yard dash (23rd percentile). That sluggish time is expected from larger running backs, but not from ones at sub-200 pounds. The closest recent comparable small backs running that slow include Mark Walton, Myles Gaskin and Theo Riddick.

Williams still boasts a strong receiving profile, so the poor showing won't knock him out of the draft altogether. But the days of him routinely being mocked in Day 2 are over.

Kyren Williams recently underwent surgery for a broken foot

Rams rookie RB Kyren Williams broke his foot in practice last week and recently underwent surgery, according to a report from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter. He is expected to return sometime during training camp.

Fantasy Impact

Williams was expected to be one of the first few running backs taken during the 2022 NFL Draft until a poor NFL Combine performance contributed to him dropping all the way to the fifth round. He already had an uphill battle to compete with Cam Akers and Darrell Henderson Jr. for touches and fantasy relevance in 2022 with the Rams, and this setback will not help his chances. Monitor his status throughout the summer to see when he is able to return to the practice field.