Jonathan Williams, RB Arkansas
Height: 5’10 7/8″
Weight: 219
Hand: 10″
Arm: 30 3/4″
Wing: 76 7/8″
40-time (estimated): 4.57

NFL Comparison: Mike Davis, Thomas Rawls, Doug Martin

Scouting Notes:

– Missed his senior season at Arkansas with a foot injury suffered during fall camp after electing to return for a final year as opposed to entering the NFL draft early.

– Has less every-down tread on the tires than some SEC “workhorse” backs as Arkansas was stocked with talented RBs during much of Williams’ time in Fayateville.

– Creative runner that brings some punch behind his pads and is built in a prototypically compact manner for every-down work.

– Smart eyes and body positioning in pass-protection – looks and hustles for work even when second-level defenders don’t come free in big-on-big protections.

– Much better runner coming downhill than he is stretching the defense and making a cut upfield. Better vision for holes and gaps in a straight-forward man-setting than in a zone-concept. We’d have moderate-to-significant worry if Williams was drafted by a team that was primarily zone-based in its core blocking concepts.

– Was “limited” at the Senior Bowl week of practices due to the foot, but should be 100% by the time of Arkansas’ late-March Pro Day and possibly for the combine.

– Showed up in Mobile for weigh-in looking just a tiny bit soft through the middle.

– Even in limited shorts-and-shoulder-pads duty during the first Senior Bowl practice, Williams was the most impressive RB in Mobile when judging by general size matched with explosiveness and burst with the football in his hands – this was in comparison to backs we think will be reasonable NFL options such as Aaron Green and Kenneth Dixon.

– Flashed good hands and framing ability as a receiver in Mobile to not waste motion getting upfield after-catch. Monster 10-inch hands should help with receiving as well as the ability to protect the football.

– Shows terrific lateral agility and balance at the second-level of the defense, can make linebackers miss in free space after shedding through the line of scrimmage that is similar to Doug Martin coming out of college.

– Rarely goes down on first contact.

– Doesn’t appear to have elite long-speed, but isn’t a guy who’s easy to catch when fast DBs are coming at him at pursuit angles. He’s not a threat to take the ball the distance any time he gets into the secondary on speed alone, but is still that sort of threat because he’s hard for defensive backs to tackle.

– All-around, a very good college runner who’ll have question-marks regarding the nature of his foot injury – an issue that will be poked and prodded at in Indy by an array of doctors to assure it won’t be a recurrent deal.

Fantasy Outlook

Much will depend on the status of the foot and the situation he falls to in the draft, but Williams is a player we’re comfortable saying we’d be intrigued to roster, certainly in dynasty, as early as 2016 rookie drafts due to our belief that given volume of touches, has the tools to be an effective every-down back at the NFL level. He’s certainly one of the senior RBs in the 2016 class to keep a close eye on for fantasy purposes.

Background via Arkansas Athletic Department:

High School
Collected more than 3,500 rushing yards at Allen … Ranked as the 17th-best running back in the country and the 26th-best overall prospect in Texas by Rivals.com, the No. 13 running back in the nation and No. 28 prospect in the state by 247Sports.com and as the 20th-best running back in the country by Scout.com … Played for the West Team in the inaugural Semper Fidelis All-American Bowl and helped his team to a 17-14 victory … In 2011, he rushed for 1,169 yards and 12 touchdowns on 187 carries and added 14 catches for 161 yards and two touchdowns while leading the Eagles to a perfect 10-0 record in the regular season before falling in the second round of the playoffs … As a junior, he exploded for 2,078 yards and 19 touchdowns on 249 carries while catching 17 passes for 174 yards and one touchdown as the Eagles posted a 10-2 record and advanced to the second round of the state playoffs … His sophomore season, he rushed 35 times for 263 yards and four touchdowns and made four receptions for 39 yards and one touchdown … Coached by Tom Westerberg … Chose the Razorbacks over Texas A&M, Tennessee, Missouri, Baylor and Wisconsin.

Personal
Born on Feb. 2, 1994 … Son of John and Constance Williams … Brother Jeremiah played football at Eastern Kentucky in 2011 and 2012 … Majoring in communication.