Back to the San Francisco 49ers Film Zone, where we break down the game of former Utah running back Joe Williams.
In our first installment of the San Francisco 49ers Film Zone, we broke down former Colorado cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon. Continuing the series, we dive into former Utah Utes running back Joe Williams. Williams has yet to go through his first NFL training camp, although fans have already started to wonder if he will overtake incumbent starter Carlos Hyde.
On the field, Hyde is a force to be reckoned with. The problem with Hyde is always the same — will he be available. Hyde's health has been an issue since his rookie season. Each season he has missed multiple games due to injury. However, barring injury, Hyde will be the starting running back heading into the 2017 season.
This is not because Williams lacks elite talent, which sounds contradictory. But as you watch the film clips in this article, you will see exactly why he is special — and also why he will not be RB1 right away.
Looking at his available film on draft breakdown, I decided to use his game against Arizona State as it best captured what Williams does best and where he struggles on a consistent basis. With that being said, let's take a look at Williams' skill-set, starting with the areas in which he struggles.
All clips of film were provided courtesy of Draft Breakdown.
film zone
Dec 28, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Utah Utes running back Joe Williams (28) carries the ball during the third quarter against the Indiana Hoosiers at Levi's Stadium. The Utah Utes won 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
Where Joe Williams struggles
Let us begin by getting the ugly out of the way. And when I say ugly, I mean ugly. Williams should have been the running back with the last name of Hyde (or Jekyll), because he has two sides to his game. On one side, he is an electrifying runner with the ability to break off long runs whenever he touches the ball. But, he can also get your quarterback killed.
Exhibit A
As you can see in Exhibit A, Williams inexplicably jumps forward in an awkward jump step causing him to land flat-footed. Landing flat-footed prevents him from being able to quickly engage the blitzing defensive back. This is a blitz pickup that Williams needs to make plain and simple.
At the NFL level, this kind of pass blocking simply will not cut it.
Exhibit B
More from NFL Spin Zone
Here is yet another example of Williams whiffing on a pass block. Again, Williams does an awkward jump step that causes him to not only be flat-footed but also makes him take an unbalanced, wide stance. Making matter worse, he takes a bad angle leaving the pocket exposed which the blitzing defensive back gladly takes.
Looking at Williams film you can see consistent issues with his pass blocking enough to say that you cannot trust him on passing downs at this point in his pass-blocking game. It is simply inexcusable that defensive backs are running by him and getting pressure on his quarterback.
As a running back, he should be smashing his man at the line of scrimmage, regaining his balance and re-engaging with good technique. Instead, Williams has film loaded with examples of flubs.
Exhibit C
There's no excuse for missing his man in the clip above. He knew he was providing pass-blocking support to his left tackle. Again, he is flat-footed and seems surprised that an edge rusher is coming for his quarterback.
Now that we have seen his ugly tape, I have to balance all of the above with his athletic potential. It's not that he can't pass block physically. On a physical level, Williams has the tools to get the job done. The issues seem to stem from technique and experience. With more practice, this is an element of his game that will develop. Will it develop by Week 1? No. By year 2? Quite possibly.
film zone
Nov 19, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes running back Joe Williams (28) runs with the ball during the second half against the Oregon Ducks at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Oregon won 30-28. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports
Where Joe Williams could improve
An area where Williams could improve is in the passing game. Williams, is not much of a route-running back. He also doesn't have the best hands. In fact, his hands are bad. Yet, as a safety valve he brings value. Williams can catch 5-yard dump-offs with regularity. This may not seem like much, but for Williams this can quickly turn into a 25-yard gain.
Of course, head coach Kyle Shanahan will place Williams in the best position to succeed. It very well may be that Williams never goes out for a pass in his NFL career. I seriously doubt that considering Shanahan's tendency to scheme running backs into the passing game.
Still, Williams has dropped several passes in his career to include this beauty below. Let's just hope that coach Shanahan sends Williams out on forward passes.
Exhibit D
That's not a guy you want playing like Darren Sproles right away. Even still, the potential is undeniable.
film zone
Nov 10, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Utah Utes running back Joe Williams (28) scores a touchdown against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the second half at Sun Devil Stadium. The Utes won 49-26. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Where Joe Williams shines
Williams has incredible burst and speed which when paired with an excellent college offensive line led to some impressive running. On the year, Williams put 1,407 rushing yards in just nine games, per the Utah Utes website. As part of those 2016 stats, he also dropped 332 rushing yards on UCLA. All in all, Williams had a per game rushing average of 156.3.
Per Pro Football Focus, Williams had 20 runs of 15 or more yards, even though he had only placed 20th overall for total rushing attempts. At the 2017 NFL Combine, Williams ran a fantastic 4.41 40-yard dash. That speed is immediately noticeable when watching his game on film.
Exhibit E
In the clip above, not only is his 4.41 speed apparent, but early in the play, Williams also demonstrates his elite balance. Williams has good power to take on defenders and bounce off hits that would bring other backs down.
Williams, however, has the equilibrium to stay upright while also running forward at full speed. Check out another angle of this same play.
Exhibit E.1
In this angle, you can get a better view of Williams cutting up field at just the right time. It shows his burst, power, balance and breakaway speed — xkkills and athletic abilities that can make him a very dangerous weapon for coach Shanny's outside zone running scheme.
Exhibit F
In the tape above, we have the inverse of the previous example. Now, we see Williams show his incredible acceleration in which he hits his top speed in no time at all. In a flash, he is beyond the second-level of Arizona State's defenders.
Using his power he breaks through an arm tackle and uses his balance to continue churning forward. Often times, running backs are unable to regain their balance once their hips get turned sideways as Williams hips do on this play. Nevertheless, Williams regains balance by flipping his hips and running on for the score. This is a difficult task when done at full speed but Williams makes it look easy.
Exhibit G
In our last film example, we provide you with Williams running an outside zone run. As awesome as the above run is, Williams can actually stand to improve on this run and could have gained a few more yards.
For one, right before he cuts up field, he could have driven his left foot into the ground, using it to propel his way up field. It would have cut down on the number of steps he took trying to get up field. Simply, he could have hit top speed even faster.
This skill of "driving your foot into ground and cutting up field" is something that Hyde excels at. While Hyde certainly does not have the speed that Williams has, Hyde does have to cut up field in quick, efficient steps. In addition, Hyde has reliable hands and can certainly pass protect. Williams brings an element to the 49ers running game in that he can break long runs whenever he touches the ball.
Due to his speed, defensive coordinators will think twice before they just stack the box. One missed tackle could mean one long gain. While Williams will not take over for Hyde, a scenario where Williams receives 30 percent of the carries is certainly realistic. Expect Hyde to be RB1 with Williams to get anywhere from 7-10 carries per game as RB2.
