San Francisco 49ers: Who is running back Joe Williams?
By Peter Panacy
Niner Noise’s “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players in 2017 begins to wind down. But before we close out, let’s look at rookie running back Joe Williams.
Rookie running back Joe Williams has the distinction of being a hand-picked offensive player for the San Francisco 49ers.
And this accolade could make him a presumptive starter as early as Week 1 in 2017.
Of course, the Niners drafted Williams in Round 4 of the 2017 NFL Draft, No. 121 overall. But it’s Williams’ checkered past that drew plenty of interest on draft day.
“I was like, ‘uh uh — not interested,’” general manager John Lynch said of Williams, via Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Williams’ checkered history included being dismissed from the University of Connecticut before starting a two-year stint with Utah.
And even that included a four-game absence, as he left the program to deal with “mental and physical fatigue,” per Barrows.
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Generated 7/6/2017.
Somehow, head coach Kyle Shanahan and running backs coach Bobby Turner convinced Lynch to talk with Williams before the Niners made such a move.
The fact Lynch went with Williams says all you need to know.
The Shanahan-Turner combo has found late-round gems before, the last being Atlanta Falcons tailback Devonta Freeman. Is Williams destined to be the next find for San Francisco and, possibly, a long-term replacement for the incumbent, Carlos Hyde?
Let’s take a look.
Why He’ll Improve
Shanahan will be employing an outside-zone scheme this offseason, calling for runs outside the tackles.
There are, however, needs for immediate cuts when holes open up along the point of attack. This is where Williams wins, as his draft profile on Pro Football Focus states:
- Speed and acceleration can destroy safety angles and outrun almost everyone.
- Excellent lateral agility and change of direction to make successful cuts at the last possible moment.
- Capable of getting skinny through tight holes.
You can see some of these positive attributes here:
Cutback ability combined with speed — Williams ran a 4.41 40-yard time at the NFL Scouting Combine, second among all running backs — makes the rookie a potential candidate to usurp Hyde as the No. 1 ball-carrier this season.
Yet Williams will have to overcome some serious concerns to do such a thing in year one.
Why He’ll Regress
Williams has good bulk, armed with an athletic 5-foot-11, 205-pound frame.
That’s good, especially when combined with speed, but Williams has some issues running behind bad offensive lines.
NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein described such:
"Will run into traffic that he might be able to avoid. Shows occurrences of hesitation if he doesn’t have a clean point of entry between tackles. Runs a little too tall approaching line of scrimmage."
San Francisco boasted the worst-ranked O-line last year, in terms of run support, per Football Outsiders. Sure, there have been some changes up front, and the new scheme could improve things. But it’s still a bit too soon to assume Williams will have immediate success without the support up front.
Ball security might also be an issue, as he lost six fumbles during his Utah tenure. No amount of speed can make up for this if it remains a problem.
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What to Expect in 2017
The Niners have a relatively crowded backfield heading into training camp. In addition to Williams and Hyde, San Francisco has Kapri Bibbs, Raheem Mostert, Tim Hightower and Matt Breida vying for carries this preseason.
Williams’ roster spot is all but guaranteed, so there’s no worries there. But where will he be slotted?
According to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco, Williams does have a realistic shot to pass over Hyde on the depth chart, possibly as early as Week 1. And with Hyde hitting a contract year, Shanahan and Co. may be looking more towards the future than garnering the best impact in 2017 for what looks to be a losing season.
Equally possible, though, is saving Williams for a more pronounced role in 2018 and beyond, therefore using Hyde as a bell cow and easily immersing Williams into the picture.
This wouldn’t be a bad idea — save the wear and tear on Williams for when the Niners are contenders.
Next: 5 best running backs in 49ers history
At any rate, the 49ers are hoping the rookie winds up being the next mid-round find, who can helm San Francisco’s ground game for the foreseeable future.