Chicago Bears: Why Trayveon Williams could be the RB to target in NFL Draft

Dynamic, every-down back

While Trayveon Williams is an exceptional person off the field, to focus only on that would do a disservice to his incredible talents on the field — talents which make him a great fit in Matt Nagy’s offense.

Let’s start at the line of scrimmage. Williams has very good vision to see the play develop and set up the defenders in the second level. He moves extremely well at the line to find the hole and once he does, can burst through it like a cloud of dust. Many of these skills were on full display in the game against LSU on November 24th, in which Williams ran the ball 35 times for 198 yards (105 after contact), forced four missed tackles, scored two touchdowns, and had eight runs of 10 yards or more.

However, there was one play in particular that showcased some of his strengths and why there is so much to like about his game. Take a look at this video at the 1:46 mark. The Aggies have the ball in the first quarter on LSU’s 10-yard line. It’s first and goal in a scoreless game. Williams takes the handoff and heads up the middle. The defensive tackle sees this and tries to shed his blocker to the inside.

However, Williams bounces sideways, showing outstanding agility to avoid the tackle. Then, seemingly from a standstill, he accelerates remarkably quick through the line. As he approaches the goal line, he’s met by two LSU defenders at the two-yard line, which he takes with him into the end zone. His vision, acceleration, and power were all on display in this one play.

Another favorable trait Trayveon possesses is his breakaway speed. There is nothing more frustrating as a fan than to see a running back hit a crease with nothing but daylight in front of him, only to be caught from behind. Well, there are no such concerns with Williams as you can see below. He has the breakaway speed to gash the defense for big yardage.

Finally, there are two other qualities that make Williams an attractive option for the Bears. First, he is probably the best pass blocking running back in the draft.  He isn’t afraid to mix it up with even the biggest defenders, which allows him to stay on the field for all three downs. Second, he is terrific as a pass catcher out of the backfield, something that is a must in Nagy’s offense. Not only does he have great hands, but he’s been used split-out wide at Texas A&M so he could handle more than just catching the ball out of the backfield. Last year alone he caught 27 passes for 278 yards.

On balance, Williams is a very well-rounded back who possesses a ton of desirable traits. He is someone that could easily show-out at the NFL Combine, and emerge as a household name by the time festivities are over in Indianapolis. We talked about the Combine and other topics when I sat down with Trayveon recently.