49ers’ 2018 ‘Who Is?’ series: Offensive lineman Darrell Williams Jr.

Niner Noise’s 2018 “Who Is?” series on San Francisco 49ers players looks at second-year offensive lineman Darrell Williams and his chances to make the 53-man roster.

The San Francisco 49ers made a lot of changes to their offensive line ahead of the 2017 season, namely to its depth. And one of those pieces was former Western Kentucky offensive lineman Darrell Williams Jr.

Williams, who went undrafted after the 2017 NFL Draft, started off his rookie season signed to the practice squad. But he ended up being promoted to the active roster in early November and even managed to get into seven games.

Heading into year two of his pro career, Williams faces some stiff competition and fresh faces along the Niners O-line.

At 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds, Williams possesses a lot of the physical traits teams like along the line, particularly at tackle. He even earned a backup swing tackle job when veteran left tackle Joe Staley missed a game with a broken orbital bone.

It’s likely Williams is gunning for a similar spot this season. But what will he have to do to ensure he makes the cut?

Why Darrell Williams Improves in 2018

Williams saw just three snaps last season, posting an overall Pro Football Focus grade of 54.8. So it’s hard to gauge how effective he was during meaningful on-field time. Yet the Niners clearly liked him enough to grant him a spot on their practice squad to start the year. And when injuries along the O-line became a factor, he was one of the team’s call-ups.

A full year working in head coach Kyle Shanahan’s outside-zone blocking scheme should bode well. And if he matches his size with adequate blocking abilities, it’s possible he turns into yet another one of those “develop then play” commodities so valuable to a team’s depth.

Why He Regresses

There still isn’t much info on Williams’ abilities out there — either at the pro or collegiate levels. He did run a 5.24 40-yard time back during his 2017 pro day, which isn’t terrible but not elite either.

This could raise some questions about his movement skills, particularly his ability to block at the second level. Again, though, there’s not a lot of evidence to support it.

According to the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows, however, Williams was injured for most of the team’s offseason activities ahead of training camp. That doesn’t bode well for Williams, as the coaching staff has had numerous weeks to evaluate other players with whom Williams will be directly competing.

Chances of Making the 49ers’ 53-Man Roster in 2018

Williams is definitely on the bubble heading into training camp, and perhaps slightly on the weaker side.

One of his primary competitors, Garry Gilliam, is also gunning for a swing tackle role this season. Despite a problematic tenure with the Seattle Seahawks, the Niners clearly liked something about him. Enough to pry the restricted free agent away from Seattle.

Gilliam, along with linemen Mike Person and Erik Magnuson, is among the names competing for depth roles along San Francisco’s O-line. All three of those players probably have a better shot of making the 53-man roster this season. So it would either take one, or more, of those names flopping during training camp or a massive effort from Williams to make the cut.

Next: Predicting 49ers' Week 1 depth chart, 53-man roster

Because of this, Williams likely kicks off training camp on the weaker side of the bubble. His offseason injury certainly won’t help, but there’s enough to like here to see him as a dark-horse candidate.