Joe Williams - RB, Utah

Originally posted by gold49er2183:
Someone said his mom was wearing a niner shirt earlier before we drafted him.

She was wearing a generic San Francisco tourist shirt, not a Niners shirt. Still....

Originally posted by NorthBay49er:

I LOVE IT!!! Looking to take a starting Job.

Originally posted by Afrikan:

Originally posted by Bluesbro:

Man, is this guy FAST

I was screaming for Dalvin Cook in the draft section on the forum for a while now... But I think someone mentioned Williams to me, when I said I just wanted a true home run hitter from the RB position.

Yup Williams has that break away speed. Luckily he fell and we jumped on him... but kudos to John for still taking the guy, right after we traded for a RB.

Funny that he reminds me of Carlos Hyde. Could be the #28.

Originally posted by HERN:
Funny that he reminds me of Carlos Hyde. Could be the #28.

He runs upright the way Hyde does two but they are very different RB's, could complement each other well if Hyde stays healthy and Williams keeps his nose clean.

Great pick, fits KS offense

looks like a faster Frank Gore to me.....maybe?

Williams is my 3rd favorite pick from our draft.

With Kyle's running scheme... all we need to do is create a lane for this kid and we have the potential for a TD.

Home run hitters are important to me, because I feel if we create the opening for a big play... with a TD, that's less plays on offense that could prevent a TD...or turnover on offense.

Originally posted by Jiks:
I literally yelled in excitement at work!!!

Jiks immediate reaction to the announcement:

RB depth chart projection:

Hyde
Williams
Hightower
Maybe Bibbs

From PFF:

Name: Joe Williams

School: Utah

Position fit: Running back

Stats to know: Williams' 22 runs of 15-plus yards were 10th-most in 2016 among draft-eligible running backs despite having the 20th-most rushing attempts.

What he does best:

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.Despite his own admission of having injury issues, he had no issue carrying the workload after his return to the team, averaging 27.5 touches in his final seven games.Biggest concerns:

Will consistently get what his blocking provides, but not able to consistently create on his own at the first level.His yards-after-contact numbers look fine due to forcing missed tackles and turning them into big runs, but overall isn't great at churning out yardage on initial contact if he can't make someone miss.Ball security can be poor with seven fumbles on 322 carries.Not utilized much in passing game.Dropped five of 27 catchable passes in two seasons."Retired" from football for a brief period in 2016Player comparison: Jerious Norwood, retired

Norwood was an excellent athlete who was always a threat to outrun everyone once he could get into the second level and beyond. However, he struggled to overcome poor blocking and create yardage on his own.

Bottom line: As we saw at the combine, Williams is very quick and displays impressive athleticism. His speed is his greatest asset and he is a threat to score any time he can get into the open field. If he's paired with a very good offensive line and can get to the second level untouched more frequently, his quickness can turn those into huge runs. But he will not be able to overcome poor blocking as he cannot create at the first level on his own and won't be able to utilize his speed. His lack of experience in the passing game initially prevents him from being a third-down back, forcing him into a lesser role as only a change-of-pace back. Teams will also need to consider and Williams will have to have to answer questions about his mid-September retirement and commitment.

Jeff Deeney‏ @PFF_Jeff 1h1 hour agoMore

Joe Williams' 48.2% breakaway percentage (% of yards coming on runs of 15+) ranked 12th out of 69 RBs in this draft class. #49ers

Great pick...dudes a beast

Character is obviously messed up.
Why draft that? It's almost guaranteed that he will wander away from wisdom.
Unecessary headache.