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Damien Williams thoughts?


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I've been looking at Damien Williams pretty heavily and I must say his "projections" seem to be all over the place. My personal take is that the system in KC is more of an indicator  of his potential for 2019 than the name on the jersey. If we were talking about K. Hunt 2018 before the season started we would say he was a no brainer first round pick. However, the name is D. Williams instead and people have a tendency to dismiss what he accomplished when given the opportunity to be the starter last year. I did a little bit of research on these two back player profiles from the draft and provided links:

 

K. Hunt

 https://www.playerprofiler.com/nfl/kareem-hunt/

 

D. Williams

https://www.playerprofiler.com/nfl/damien-williams/

 

The two are very similar in profiles but Williams is actually bigger and faster in virtually every measurable. I know people point to the fact that D. Williams was a backup in Miami but I'm not sure I put much stock in that dumpster fire franchise to make the best personnel decisions. What does seem convincing is that if you took the names of the jerseys and put them in the exact same scenario would you be able to tell the difference in production? The measurable's  are similar (though actually favored toward Williams) and the actual starter production was very similar. So, to me the only thing that really is a question mark is if the opportunity for Williams will be the same as what it was for Hunt?

 

That question seemed to be a resounding yes throughout the off-season till Williams tweaked his hamstring in training camp and missed some time. Then the reports of Carlos Hyde getting reps with the first team but what really caused concern is the HC saying he planned on a RBBC. Woah.....did Andy Reid just decide to pull all the endorsement for his starting RB because he missed 10 days of camp? That belief is what has caused his ADP to drop recently....at least that is what I'm assuming the cause has been? Except how much of this was really just coach-speak? Has Andy Reid really ever been a true RBBC guy? I just don't see it. Carlos Hyde is a plodder and can't keep a job. What really should be the question is what does RBBC mean in todays NFL? 

 

Almost every RB shares the backfield to a degree. Once you get past the top 5-6 guys the waters get a bit muddy and it's much harder to find true 3 down backs. The question then really is how much should we expect Williams to be in a timeshare? As a coaching staff how much value do they place on the other RB's to come in and contribute in ways that they feel Williams isn't able to do? The guy that I'd be most concerned about is Darwin Thompson. I could definitely see him filling the C. West role role and being involved more on third downs. Carlos Hyde? Meh, that guy to be is a complete waste of a draft pick. I have not seen any convincing argument to sway my opinion that Williams will be the starter and some Darwin Thompson sprinkled in on third downs. If you have some I want to hear it. 

 

Where do you guys put him and what do you see his potential to be? 

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That's pretty good analysis and I think I agree with you for the most part. It's a little confusing why he hasn't really gotten a whole lot of usage until last year because he is 27. But sounds like he does have a lot of talent and can catch the ball well. I think the major issue is how much work is Carlos Hyde going to get and how much is Darwin Thompson going to take away. Even if they do, a 50% timeshare in a very productive offense would still be good. So he's  high risk in that he's never been a consistent starter for a year. But I do think he'll be decent to good this year.  It's his ADP which makes me a little nervous.  It's a little high.  

Edited by purplemonster
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If it's me I'm not sure I use an early round pick on a Chiefs RB. All signs point to Damian Williams being the guy, but with his hamstring injury something smells funny to me.Not sure why, but in my opinion this is shaping up like a classic RBBC to me.

 

Reid has so many pieces and play things on offense this year, especially with the addition of Mecole Hardman. 

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14 hours ago, Big John said:

 

Yeah, I heard his press conference on this. And they really don't have one guy that stands out among all of them. To me, the guy to watch is Darwin Thompson.

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9 hours ago, Chief Dick said:

 

Yeah, I heard his press conference on this. And they really don't have one guy that stands out among all of them. To me, the guy to watch is Darwin Thompson.

He's a pretty small guy 5'8" 195 lbs so I think he's a more change of pace back.  Not to say he can't take carries but it would be difficult for him to supplant anyone as the primary back. 

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Like I said earlier I just think this is a bunch of preseason coachspeak. Carlos Hyde is slow, Darrel Williams is even slower, Darwin Thompson is 5'8 198lbs and ran a 4.6 forty at the combine. Nah, man I'm not buying it. Every year we hear coaches say all sorts of junk that lasts till week 1 and then we all forget about it. Bottom line, Damien Williams is 5'11 222lbs runs a 4.45 forty can catch well out of the backfield and showed he can produce when given an opportunity. At this point it's almost like people are going out of their way to find a reason NOT to like the guy. The competition is mediocre and I don't care what mumbo jumbo Reid is saying in the preseason....it's not the reality. We all know to take anything coaches say with a rather large grain of salt at this point don't we? 

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I have an easy call on Williams as I can keep him this year in round 15. No brainer. But would I draft him as my RB2 I'm not so sure. Reid hasn't been thrilled with his work ethic in rehab. I think the ability is there but is the heart and determination there on Williams behalf? I guess it's a wait and see. But ya I'm not reaching to get him in re drafts. 

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4 hours ago, buckemdown said:

I have an easy call on Williams as I can keep him this year in round 15. No brainer. But would I draft him as my RB2 I'm not so sure. Reid hasn't been thrilled with his work ethic in rehab. I think the ability is there but is the heart and determination there on Williams behalf? I guess it's a wait and see. But ya I'm not reaching to get him in re drafts. 

 

Do you have a link that says he wasn't happy with his work ethic when he missed a week in camp? I've never seen that myself. I know he wasn't happy he was missing some time but I don't think I have ever heard a coach being happy with a player missing time. 

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think Darwin is the back to own here. Damien doesn't have his heart in the game while Darwin is hungry and this is a RB friendly offense as long as he can catch. Damien will probably dominate the touches early on, but I think we see quite a bit of Darwin by week 4.

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11 minutes ago, Avernus said:

I think Darwin is the back to own here. Damien doesn't have his heart in the game while Darwin is hungry and this is a RB friendly offense as long as he can catch. Damien will probably dominate the touches early on, but I think we see quite a bit of Darwin by week 4.

 

Sadly I agree.  Darwin is an upgrade version of Damien.  If Damien does not have an injury flare up, he can hold the job at least for the first half.  

 

It will only take a couple great plays, powerful, speed, etc... from Darwin to instantly turn this into best case committee.  I have not seen how Darwin is in pass protection yet.

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Miami may be a dumpster fire; but Williams is no spring chicken.  The list of RBs who reach RB1 status for the first time after their 5th season has to be pretty short.  Im leery that he's a JAG until proven otherwise.  KC also drafted a RB late who has comps to Phillip Lindsay and the coach is talking RBBC.  Williams is going in FFPC leagues in the same range you can get WRs like Thielen, Cooper, Hilton, and Diggs. That feels like a landmine.  I'm not paying that price in lieu of the alternatives.

Edited by Bobby Brown
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Loving the pick......;) Seriously, I like Williams chances to keep the starting role in the KC offense. They don't depend on him like Miami did. KC has far and away better passing attack. Defense have to respect the pass more than the run as well as stay home because of PH. He needed a place where he could get 1 on 1 coverage and very few loaded boxes. He has the perfect spot for his speed. He lacks the vision of a great between the tackles back and the balance but he can burn in the open field. KC and Reid will use him and use him often. 

Edited by Cowboyz1
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3 hours ago, indyrckstar said:

I drafted Darwin Thompson as he is already more explosive than Damien WIlliams is.  The issue with Darwin is size.  I don't know if he can handle a large chunk of carries.

5'8  200 lbs.

 

1 inch and 5 lbs off is not too bad.

 

Darrell Williams is 5'11  224 lbs.  Some site show him as the #3 behind Hyde other show him as #2.  I think it is not totally settle yet, but leaning to D.Thompson.  Pass protection is the golden ticket to more playing time.

 

 

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6 minutes ago, Company of Heroes said:

Tough thing is- he is going late second or early third in most 12 team drafts. If you are picking in the 7-12 slots you either reach past some pretty strong players or he will never make it back to you.

 

Exactly. And I'm not comfortable with him as my starter. I see him more as a good flex option with RB2 upside.

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13 hours ago, indyrckstar said:

WIlliams gets a long TD...

 

Curious if this really will be  RB by committee.

 

 

This is what I think Big Red will do. DW has never carried load before as RB1. Him and Thompson I think will spell each other. Reid usually plays hot hand so at first it's a guessing game. Hyde imo will be cut. Darrel short yardage bruising back. I think as season goes on Darwin will be the guy. Since Reid got to KC #1 RB week 1 is either hurt or passed up and number 2 makes playoff run. I think Thompson will end up with more points. Could be wrong. Both have looked great in pre season.

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11 minutes ago, chiefswarpath said:

This is what I think Big Red will do. DW has never carried load before as RB1. Him and Thompson I think will spell each other. Reid usually plays hot hand so at first it's a guessing game. Hyde imo will be cut. Darrel short yardage bruising back. I think as season goes on Darwin will be the guy. Since Reid got to KC #1 RB week 1 is either hurt or passed up and number 2 makes playoff run. I think Thompson will end up with more points. Could be wrong. Both have looked great in pre season.

This.  And it's why an early pick on Williams is too risky from my perspective.  The Chiefs certainty aren't heavily vested in Williams; I read he's the lowest paid starting RB.  If someone else starts playing better, I think the leash for Williams is short.

 

Everyone is loving Williams because he's the starting RB in Reid's system.  But that is also a double edged sword.  If it truly is plug in any RB, that includes any other RB besides DW. No one on that roster has established the reigns over more than a couple games. Anyone of them could potentially be the guy several weeks into the season.  I'll happily take Thompson late in the draft.  

Edited by Bobby Brown
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