Niner Noise
FanSided

San Francisco 49ers: 5 biggest stars of 2018 OTAs so far

By Bobby Horne

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 29: A view of San Francisco 49ers helmets on the bench during their NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 29, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 29: A view of San Francisco 49ers helmets on the bench during their NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium on November 29, 2015 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 11: Running back Joe Williams #32 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball during the preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO – AUGUST 11: Running back Joe Williams #32 of the San Francisco 49ers carries the ball during the preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on August 11, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /

Joe Williams

Running back Joe Williams had a bit of bad luck coming into the NFL. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and was widely talked about as being an explosive running back, who could fight his way to become a starter.

A foot injury during preseason landed him on the injured-reserve list, ending his rookie season. Undrafted free agent Matt Breida stole some of his thunder and put in a productive 2017 campaign.

Now in 2018, Williams is fighting for a roster spot.

With OTAs underway, Williams has sure started off on the right track towards playing for the 49ers in 2018.

When given the chance, he has made some big plays and managed to keep the coaches eyes on him, including Kyle Shanahan:

"I noticed a couple runs today that flashed. There were two runs in particular that I told him he did a real good job on out there, we’ll know more when we get to the preseason and put those pads on."

Williams is playing very well right and showing coaches why he was drafted. Hopefully he can continue this trend throughout the off-season and into the regular season.

Next: San Francisco 49ers: Predicting 3 undrafted free agents who make the 2018 roster

The 49ers have a lot of good running backs, and that is a great problem to have.