2021 NFL Draft prospect: North Carolina RB Javonte Williams
Javonte Williams is currently the third-ranked running back in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Williams put together a great 2020 college football season that skyrocketed him to one of the top-five running backs in this year's Draft.
On that note, let's take a look at how Javonte Williams has become one of the best running backs in this year's Draft.
2021 NFL Draft prospect: Javonte Williams' NFL Draft Profile
Height: 5' 10".
Weight: 225 pounds.
Position: Running back.
College: North Carolina.
2021 NFL Draft prospect: Javonte Williams' strengths
Javonte Williams shared time with running back Michael Carter, who is also a top-five running back prospect in this year's NFL Draft.
Williams runs the football with a lot of power and explosiveness. The Tar Heel running back has great size and runs downhill.
During his time at North Carolina, Williams displayed great vision when it came to finding running lanes and those lanes at full speed. Javonte Williams has a burst of speed that guys his size usually don't have. His power gives him the ability to provide the initial contact instead of receiving it.
His ability to fight for extra yards comes with his size and strength that he possesses. He isn't easy to tackle because once defenders wrap him up, his legs continue to move. His ability to catch the football out of the backfield is another strength of his game.
2021 NFL Draft prospect: Javonte Williams' weaknesses
One knock on Javonte Williams is that he doesn't possess the speed in the open field. There were times on film that Williams hit the running lanes with a good amount of burst, but once he gets in the open field, he was tracked down by defenders. This is something that he'll need to address at the next level.
Scouts are concerned that he could struggle at the next level if the scheme isn't like the one he has run at North Carolina. The Tar Heels ran their offense through Williams and Carter, which helped the former immensely. Another area that will need improvement is his pass blocking.
Javonte Williams is a good pass-catching running back, but he tends to run basic routes. Some of the routes he ran at North Carolina consisted of flat routes and wheel routes. He can also improve his skillset when it comes to making defenders miss.
2021 NFL Draft prospect: Javonte Williams' career at North Carolina
Javonte Williams got off to a slow start, only rushing for 224 yards and five touchdowns on 43 attempts.
He was also a slow starter when it came to the Tar Heels' passing offense. During his freshman year, Javonte Williams caught eight passes for 58 yards.
He put on a great show during his sophomore season, seeing a big jump in production in both carries and rushing yards. Williams received a bigger role in the Tar Heels' backfield, running the football 166 times and racking up 933 rushing yards. He also saw a boost in production in the passing game, catching 17 passes for 176 yards and one touchdown in his sophomore season at North Carolina.
His best season at the University of North Carolina came during his junior year. This is when he saw the biggest boost in his production and received an even bigger role.
The Tar Heels running back rushed for 1,140 yards and 19 touchdowns on 157 carries. He also added 305 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns on 25 receptions for the Tar Heels.
2021 NFL Draft prospect: Javonte Williams' career rushing stats
Rushing attempts: 366.
Rushing yards: 2,297.
Average yards per carry: 6.3.
Rushing touchdowns: 29.
2021 NFL Draft prospect: Javonte Williams' career receiving stats
Receptions: 50.
Receiving yards: 539.
Yards per reception: 10.8.
Receiving touchdowns: 4.