Why isn't RB Joe Williams from Utah being talked about more?

[Luck 4 president]

From what I've seen and read, joe williams is expected to get drafted in the sixth. He put up very impressive numbers at Utah this year. 150+ yards a game and 6.7 yards per attempt. Today he ran the second fastest 40 out of the RBs with a 4.41. So why is he still not being talked about as one of the top backs? His numbers are every bit as impressive as all the other backs in the draft. It could be because he "quit" football before this season so teams may have labeled him as a quitter. He came out and said he was going though a lot mentally and emotionally because of the death of his sister a few years ago, and thought stepping away from football was best for him. If he does go in the 6th round he could be the best valued RB in the draft. What do you guys think?

[SP_21]

If you watch his tape you'll see that he was running through massive holes. The Utah O-Line is probably the best run blocking line in the country last season. So people aren't sure if he's an exceptional player or someone who benefited from a great line

 

Personally I like Williams and would definitely take a chance on him in the 5-6th round. 

[Shive]

I think its a combination of the bus lanes he ran through, his size and the ability to contribute as an every down RB, quitting the team, and being arrested for credit card fraud (was dismissed from UConn because of this).

 

Also, his sister passed away when he was 14, so I don't think that was a factor. What I found was this:

 

"I'm going to be happy with my decision down the road," he said. "… I've been playing this sport since I was 6 years old. It's caught up with me. I don't want [my health] to be detrimental five years from now. It's in my best interests, and I'm going to be happy about it."

[NewColtsFan]

 

As Shive points out,  Joe Williams of Utah has a boat load of Red Flags attached to him.

 

--- Got kicked out of UConn

--- Retired for a while

--- He's got issues as a running back.

 

Here's his profile on NFL.com which is free....    all of their material is FREE.     You can find it and click on it and read all you want....   

 

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/joe-williams?id=2557936

 

He's got some talent,  but his character concerns are many and serious....

 

[Tmoney]

He's fast but doesn't make ppl miss in the open field. Doesn't run with power but has home run speed. I dont think hell be much of a factor in the NFL unless he gets really good at returning kicks

[Bluefire4]

I had us getting him in the 6th in my mock draft. He has issues but his speed is ridiculous when you watch him play. Came off the couch after his "retirement" and straight produced. He's definitely undervalued.

[Smonroe]

I don't know much about him other than what people have already said here.  His stats and his measurables are outstanding.   Utah played a decent schedule.  

 

Can't ding a guy for having a good line and taking advantage of it.  

[Jackie Daytona]

1 minute ago, Smonroe said:

I don't know much about him other than what people have already said here.  His stats and his measurables are outstanding.   Utah played a decent schedule.  

 

Can't ding a guy for having a good line and taking advantage of it.  

That's what Trent RIchardson said.....  ; )  j/k

[LJpalmbeacher2]

4 minutes ago, Smonroe said:

I don't know much about him other than what people have already said here.  His stats and his measurables are outstanding.   Utah played a decent schedule.  

 

Can't ding a guy for having a good line and taking advantage of it.  

 

The haters have been doing that to D. Murray and Zeke. lol

[gacker65]

13 hours ago, Luck 4 president said:

From what I've seen and read, joe williams is expected to get drafted in the sixth. He put up very impressive numbers at Utah this year. 150+ yards a game and 6.7 yards per attempt. Today he ran the second fastest 40 out of the RBs with a 4.41. So why is he still not being talked about as one of the top backs? His numbers are every bit as impressive as all the other backs in the draft. It could be because he "quit" football before this season so teams may have labeled him as a quitter. He came out and said he was going though a lot mentally and emotionally because of the death of his sister a few years ago, and thought stepping away from football was best for him. If he does go in the 6th round he could be the best valued RB in the draft. What do you guys think?

Main reason is that he did not play in the SEC.  If he had, we would be hearing about how great he was.

 

Before the flak hits think about this, a lot of people on here wants Mixon, even with his big red flag (2-4th round pick).  Honeybadger, Tyrann Matheu was drafted after getting kicked off LSU his last year.  Trent Richardson was drafted high in the first round after running behind a good Alabama line.

 

So I agree with you, that we should be hearing more about Joe Williams and IMO, should go 3- 4th round, unstead of 5- 6th.

[Jackie Daytona]

13 minutes ago, gacker65 said:

Main reason is that he did not play in the SEC.  If he had, we would be hearing about how great he was.

 

Before the flak hits think about this, a lot of people on here wants Mixon, even with his big red flag (2-4th round pick).  Honeybadger, Tyrann Matheu was drafted after getting kicked off LSU his last year.  Trent Richardson was drafted high in the first round after running behind a good Alabama line.

 

So I agree with you, that we should be hearing more about Joe Williams and IMO, should go 3- 4th round, unstead of 5- 6th.

I think a bigger issue teams have to answer, is in a year, with 16 game checks in hand, will this cat even want to play anymore?  Based on his past statements and actions, that's a question I'd definitely be worried about the answer to as a team exec. looking at a 3rd or 4th round decision vs. 6th

[Smonroe]

5 minutes ago, Shafty138 said:

I think a bigger issue teams have to answer, is in a year, with 16 game checks in hand, will this cat even want to play anymore?  Based on his past statements and actions, that's a question I'd definitely be worried about the answer to as a team exec. looking at a 3rd or 4th round decision vs. 6th

 

He'll be asked that question so many times he'll have the answer before the third guy asks it.  

 

You can't just dismiss his reason for quitting, whether you believe him or not.  

 

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2017/02/20/joe-williams-briefly-quit-football-at-utah-wants-nfl-to-know-why/

[Jackie Daytona]

yes you can, I dismissed it when i first learned of it, he didn't have to quit in my view.

 

[Jackie Daytona]

but, this is a point of view from someone who faced life/death as a kid, so maybe I am jaded?  Hope he turns out well

 

[Jackie Daytona]

I mean, glad he realized it would help honor his sister that died 10 years or whatever prior when his team ran out of RB's and wanted him to come back after he bailed on brothers who counted on him.

 

[Jackie Daytona]

this screams, oh crap, I may miss out on 500,000 to me