49ers training camp battle: The running back position
By Peter Panacy
Joe Williams
Joe Williams came to the Niners with a bit of a checkered past, even making John Lynch feel as if the runner wasn’t worth a draft pick.
Kyle Shanahan and Bobby Turner changed Lynch’s mind, of course, and San Francisco has one of the speediest runners from the NFL Draft. Williams’ 4.41 40-yard time ranked second among all participants at the position at the NFL Scouting Combine.
You can see some of this speed on display here:
Williams still has some adjustments to make at the pro level, and he doesn’t offer much in the receiving game — an element Shanahan would like to have with his runners.
It might be best to let Williams “learn the ropes” his first season in San Francisco, although it wouldn’t be a shock to see him climb to No. 2 on the depth chart.