DEXTER WILLIAMS---GD's Second 6th Round Pick

[Bretsky]

Vision/Patience - If it's blocked for him, he usually gets it (he also usually doesn't get anything beyond that, but I digress). Has good vision and hits the hole at proper angles to distance himself from tacklers. Good patience and timing as a runner, following pullers and working off of their blocks. Showed the ability to pull second level defenders out of their gaps with footwork and then cut back against them. Most of his best runs came due to craters up front, so fair to wonder how his vision will be when the creases narrow.

Burst - Some flashes of quick feet through the hole, but burst is typically adequate at best. Lacks the ability to make one cut and get to top speed quickly, which allows defenders to snag him in the hole before he can clear traffic. Once he gets into the open field, looks like he can hit a little bit of a second gear to pull away. Hasn't shown the ability to hit a crease and burst through it.

Contact Balance - Constantly brought down by first contact, regardless of where the defender initiated the blow. Arm tackles, low tackles, high tackles, all of them typically felled Williams relatively quickly. Flashed the ability to churn his legs and pick up yards when a defender jumped on his back from behind, but rarely broke through even lighter contact head on. Runs upright and exposes surface area for opponents. For all the long TD runs he had this year, not sure he was touched on any of them.

Receiving - 19 career catches for 133 yards and two scores over parts of three seasons. Routes out of the backfield were sloppy and not precise. Will need work if he is going to be featured in a more diverse fashion as a receiver in the NFL. Does not show much open field ability despite imposing build and decent athleticism.

C.O.D./Agility - Rarely makes anyone miss in the open field and shows a startling lack of creativity when he does make his way to space. Does make subtle adjustments in the clear to angle his path away from oncoming safeties, but won't juke anyone out and doesn't show desirable elusiveness. Nothing about his game suggests finding a way to get him touches in a variety of ways should be a priority.


BEST TRAIT - Vision/Decision-Making

WORST TRAIT - Contact Balance

RED FLAGS - Arrest in 2016 for possession of marijuana and possessing a handgun with no license. Suspended four games for an unspecified violation of team rules to open the 2018 season

[pbmax]

nfl.com

Overview
Ascending every-down running back prospect who showed major flashes of becoming an NFL starter in his most active season to date. Williams runs with a good combination of feel, force and juice, which allows for a variety of methods in creating yards for himself. His evaluation could require additional character work and his relative lack of experience could mean a slower integration into an NFL offense; however, he offers exciting upside with the talent to become a productive, NFL starter.

Strengths
Possesses adequate NFL size with good flexibility
Stepped into bell-cow role with ease
Had four games with 140-plus yards and averaged a touchdown run every 12 carries
Understands block development and where lanes will originate
Adequate decisiveness as interior runner
Presses line of scrimmage to set blockers up for success
Loose hips to flow where his eyes take him
Processes traffic quickly to work away from peek-a-boo gap-fitters
Impressive acceleration
Mashes gas to win foot races to corner or hit the home run
Runs with square pads and drops heavy, pre-emptive blows on tacklers
Small career workload for fresh NFL legs
Ball security has been excellent in relatively limited work.

Weaknesses
Small sample size with limited tape against quality competition
Never more than 39 carries in a single season before 2018
Has an arrest (2016) and four-game suspension (2018) in his background
Slew-footed running style can affect balance through cuts
Needs to step in and square blitzers rather than defaulting to body rolls
Easier to upend in space because of narrow running base
Vision goes from good to average after he's past the line of scrimmage
Average elusiveness in open field

[mraynrand]

Rarely makes anyone miss in the open field
RED FLAGS - Arrest in 2016 for possession of marijuana and possessing a handgun with no license.

The second will address the first:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CW4Y6mpCXgQ

[SMBASS]

The, "rest of the story" is that the handgun wasn't his and belonged to a teammate. Convenient how that was left out of the write up.

Player Bio:


"Juice" Williams gained his nickname from his high school coach because of his infectious personality. One of the top 100 recruits in the country out of West Orange High School in Orlando, he saw the field as a true freshman for the Irish in 2015 (21 carries, 81 yards, 3.9 ypc, one touchdown rushing; one kickoff return for 20 yards in seven games). In August 2016, he was arrested with teammates for marijuana possession and possessing a handgun without a license; the latter charged was later dropped when a teammate confessed to the handgun possession. Williams was given one year of probation, playing in 12 games that fall (39 carries, 200 yards, 5.1 average, three touchdowns rushing; four receptions, 16 yards receiving; four kickoff returns, 67 yards, 16.8 average). He played in 10 games his junior season, missing three contests with an ankle injury but averaged 9.2 yards per carry (39 carries, 360 yards, four touchdowns rushing; two receptions, 13 yards, one touchdown receiving). Williams finally became Notre Dame's top rusher in his senior campaign, though he only played in nine games (eight starts) due to a suspension for undisclosed reasons that cost him the first month of the season. He rushed for 995 yards and 12 scores on 158 carries (6.3 per) while also catching 16 passes out of the backfield for 133 yards (8.3 average) and a touchdown.

[pbmax]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMkRgfvE4Kc

[pbmax]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ScVgkCft54

[Fritz]

Oh, who cares? Can he play football?

As long as he's not beating women or working with the Russkies to throw the next election, then bring him in.

[pbmax]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjU-dgaN1U8

[pbmax]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z6vLS8lnSbU

[Strange Brew]

Good now we can replace Jamaal with Dexter.

[gbgary]

jones and williams have had their issues missing playing time. that and the new scheme demand another solid back. i like this pick.

[mission]

I think this guy will be a little closer to Aaron Jones than Williams. Will fit the part

[mraynrand]

This dude has no sizzle, but he can run through the holes Jenkins will create.

[mission]

This dude has no sizzle, but he can run through the holes Jenkins will create.

True.. Similar vision though... Williams doesn't see it like these two do

[texaspackerbacker]

He kinda splits the difference between J. Williams and Jones. We needed a third RB in rotation and in case of injuries. This guy seems better than what we could pick of as a street FA.

[smuggler]

Reminds me of Ryan Grant a little bit. Did Grant play at ND?

[run pMc]

Reminds me of Ryan Grant a little bit. Did Grant play at ND?

Yes.

[pbmax]

Total zone back. Is patient and picks the right holes.

[mraynrand]

Olivia Reiner@ReinerOlivia

LaFleur said RB Dexter Williams' ability to be a one-cut runner is what he's looking for in his offense. "Quite frankly, I was surprised he was still there."

[pbmax]

Olivia Reiner@ReinerOlivia

LaFleur said RB Dexter Williams' ability to be a one-cut runner is what he's looking for in his offense. "Quite frankly, I was surprised he was still there."

I should just send you guys my own quotes.

[run pMc]

we should have bingo cards with all the stock quotes they use.

[mraynrand]

I should just send you guys my own quotes.

"Quite frankly, I'm surprised you're still here."

[run pMc]

Dexter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NW-TLln5TFI
for comparison,
Aaron: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lD0nTRvSjZs
Jamaal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tubrdY1jr8o

Aaron Jones' acceleration and elusiveness really shows up, Jamaal doesn't have the same suddenness but he could still do well in zone and he runs angry. If MLF can get production out of Derrick Henry, he can get something from Jamaal.
Dexter seems like a mix of the two, but more like Aaron. I don't think he's quite as quick/elusive, but he does have good acceleration and might be more patient than Jamaal. At a minimum DW looks like a good player to have as a RB3, plus RBs get so beat up over a season they will all play. I think for a R6 he's a good pick.

[HarveyWallbangers]

nfl.com

Overview
Ascending every-down running back prospect who showed major flashes of becoming an NFL starter in his most active season to date. Williams runs with a good combination of feel, force and juice, which allows for a variety of methods in creating yards for himself. His evaluation could require additional character work and his relative lack of experience could mean a slower integration into an NFL offense; however, he offers exciting upside with the talent to become a productive, NFL starter.

Strengths
Possesses adequate NFL size with good flexibility
Stepped into bell-cow role with ease
Had four games with 140-plus yards and averaged a touchdown run every 12 carries
Understands block development and where lanes will originate
Adequate decisiveness as interior runner
Presses line of scrimmage to set blockers up for success
Loose hips to flow where his eyes take him
Processes traffic quickly to work away from peek-a-boo gap-fitters
Impressive acceleration
Mashes gas to win foot races to corner or hit the home run
Runs with square pads and drops heavy, pre-emptive blows on tacklers
Small career workload for fresh NFL legs
Ball security has been excellent in relatively limited work.

Weaknesses
Small sample size with limited tape against quality competition
Never more than 39 carries in a single season before 2018
Has an arrest (2016) and four-game suspension (2018) in his background
Slew-footed running style can affect balance through cuts
Needs to step in and square blitzers rather than defaulting to body rolls
Easier to upend in space because of narrow running base
Vision goes from good to average after he's past the line of scrimmage
Average elusiveness in open field

Same scouting report had this:


Draft Projection
Round 4