Tag: Michael Carter

2021 NFL Draft: Why Javonte Williams should be your RB1 in this draft class

While there are several great running backs in the 2021 class, the underrated Javonte Williams from North Carolina might just be the best.

Certain running backs don’t just know how to gain yards after contact; they’re actually emboldened in their playing style by the first attempted tackle. Walter Payton would go out of his way to initiate first contact with defenders — to beat the opponent to the punch. Jim Brown made those tackling attempts look comical more often than enemy defenses would prefer. Marshawn Lynch appeared to gain speed and power with every attempted stop.

It’s a valuable skill, and in the 2021 draft class, North Carolina’s Javonte Williams is unquestionably the most gifted in this area. In the 2020 season, Williams gained 1,140 yards and scored 19 touchdowns on just 157 carries as part of a loaded backfield that also included Michael Carter and his 156 carries for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns. But Williams was the king of the splash play in that offense, and his ability to work his way out of contact was the primary reason.

Per Pro Football Focus, Williams forced 85 missed tackles in 2020 — 76 as a runner (the highest total in the country), and nine more as a receiver. And of all NCAA running backs in 2020, only Michael Carter — Williams’ backfield partner — had more rushing attempts of 15 or more yards than Williams’ 27 for 660 yards. There are other great backs in this class without question, but there may not be one who has combined Williams’ power, contact balance, and second-level explosiveness. And that makes him a highly attractive prospect. Mix in his development as a receiver (25 catches for 305 yards and three touchdowns), and you have an every-down back who seems poised to embarrass NFL defenses as he did to his collegiate rivals.

Perhaps the only universal concern expressed about Williams is that he “disappeared” in the Tar Heels’ game against Notre Dame on November 27, gaining just 28 yards on 11 carries. It’s a valid concern in the abstract, but the tape shows that the Fighting Irish were out for Williams whenever it looked as if he was going to get the ball — Notre Dame had a defense that allowed just 2.6 yards after contact per carry and just 30 broken tackles on the season, and set run blitzes in which the extra defenders were on Williams very quickly against an overmatched offensive line. When Notre Dame’s defense backed off, and Williams had any free space to run, he was still able to create positive plays.

North Carolina’s offensive line is a related matter to consider. Pro Football Focus graded that line 80th in the nation in run-blocking, and there are more than enough examples on tape in which Williams either creates on his own, or he gets very little.

Williams’ next marquee game — and his last as a college player — came on December 12, when North Carolina faced Miami. The Hurricanes did not come into that game with a great run defense, and both Carter and Williams exploited that for all it was worth. Carter gained 308 yards and scored two rushing touchdowns on 24 carries, and Williams gained 236 yards and scored three rushing touchdowns on 23 carries. Williams was able to go off in all possible ways.

 

As for his blocking? You could say that Williams gets fired up to lay the wood.

Williams will invariably be compared to Alabama’s Najee Harris, the other top-flight power back in this class. Harris also brings great short-area elusiveness to his game, and he may be a bit more well-rounded in the passing game, but he doesn’t present the same kind of home-run threat with deep speed — he’s more of a sustainer than that. Harris had 18 carries of 15 yards or more on 252 carries last season.

Where Harris reigned supreme was as an overall tackle-breaker — he forced 71 tackles as a runner and 22 tackles as a receiver. No other back in the nation came anywhere near Harris’ total in the passing game; Hawaii’s Calvin Turner and Toledo’s Bryant Koback tied for second with 13. But Harris also had far more open gaps to run through behind Alabama’s offensive line than Williams or Carter did behind their front five. PFF ranked Alabama 15th in run-blocking grade to North Carolina’s 80th.

That’s not to denigrate Harris, or any other back in this class. But when you merge the stats and the tape, you might just come away with the conclusion that there’s no running back in the 2021 draft class with more explosive potential than Javonte Williams.

2021 All-Senior Bowl team

Who were the best prospects at each position in this year’s Senior Bowl?

Every year, the Senior Bowl provides prospects with an opportunity to test their mettle against some of the top competition in college football, hoping to impress NFL decision-makers heading into the draft.

Here are my picks for the best players I saw at every position throughout this year’s event in Mobile:

Falcons 2021 mock draft: First steps to winning now

With as many as six quarterbacks potentially going in the first round this year, many are projecting the Falcons to draft Ryan’s eventual replacement.

The Falcons finished the 2020 season with a 4-12 record, earning the fourth-overall selection in the 2021 NFL draft. Atlanta’s last top-five pick came in 2008 when the team drafted quarterback Matt Ryan third overall.

With as many as six quarterbacks potentially going in the first round this year, many are projecting the Falcons to draft Ryan’s eventual replacement. For this mock, I went in a different direction and focused on finding players that can help Atlanta win now.

2021 Senior Bowl fantasy prospects

Looking at the Senior Bowl for fantasy players

The 2021 Senior Bowl offers up a chance to review the newest crop of potential NFL rookies and that’s been even more important in these COVID-19 times. Evaluating new players will be more challenging than ever with the incoming players having played fewer games, jumbled schedules or no schedules at all, or having opted out for the 2020 season. Add in the lack of an NFL Combine this year and the Senior Bowl is the only place to watch a collection of college players from various schools play together.

Of course, the bulk of the first round of the NFL draft usually involves declared juniors looking to cash in early on their talent. But in past years, the Senior Bowl allowed a glimpse of players that would go on to productive NFL careers, and therefore produce fantasy value. Few players take more than five or ten turns with the ball since they attempt to give everyone playing time.

Notable players from recent Senior Bowls:

2020

QB Justin Herbert (pass 9-12-83, TD)
QB Jalen Hurts (pass 6-13-58 TD)
RB Joshua Kelley (rush 15-105)
RB Antonio Gibson (rush 11-68)
WR Chase Claypool (receive 2-6, TD)

2019

QB Daniel Jones (pass 8-11-115, TD)
RB Tony Pollard (rush 8-60, TD)
WR Terry McLaurin (rush 1-19, receive 4-53)
WR Andy Isabella (receive 7-74, TD)

2018

QB Josh Allen (pass 9-13-158, 2 TD rush 5-19)
RB Kalen Ballage (rush 10-57)
RB Rashaad Penny (rush 9-64, receive 1-74 TD)
WR DJ Chark (receive 5-160, rush 1-9)
WR Tre’Quan Smith (receive 5-79, TD)
WR Michael Gallup (receive 3-60)

Notable 2021 performances

While 2021 is considered a rich draft for potentially elite quarterbacks,  the consensus Top-5 are all underclassmen. Kyle Trask (Florida) did not play but a few of the expected Day 3 senior quarterbacks did.

QB Feleipe Franks (Arkansas, 6-6, 228) –  Completed 9-of-16 for 122 yards and a touchdown but never ran the ball. Franks played three years for Florida before starting his senior year at Arkansas, where he threw for 2,107 yards and 17 touchdowns. He totaled nine rushing touchdowns in college with moderate rushing ability.

QB Kellen Mond (Texas A&M, 6-3, 217) – Completed 13 of 25 for 173 yards and two touchdowns. Ran twice for 11 yards. Mond played all four years for the Aggies and topped out at 3,107 passing yards with 24 touchdowns as a sophomore. He ended with 71 passing scores in his career. He ran for as many as 500 yards in a season and totaled 22 rushing touchdowns there.

QB Jamie Newman (Georgia, 6-3, 235) – Completed 10 of 14 for 118 yards and a touchdown. Only had the one full season as a starter for the Bulldogs when he threw for 2,868 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also added 574 yards and six scores on 180 rushes so he’s one of the dual-threat entrants in the NFL draft.

Almost all of the elite running backs coming from college are juniors since it doesn’t make much financial sense to remain in school where he could be injured and not reach for the big payday in the NFL. Even sitting on the bench in the NFL pays a lot more being on a college team (wink, wink, nudge, nudge, say no more).  There is still talent that remains for that final year, but they mostly end up as depth or the lesser-halves of committee backfields. But you never know.

RB Michael Carter (North Carolina, 5-8, 199) – Ran for 60 yards and a score on his eight rushes and caught two passes for 15 yards. Carter played all four seasons for the Tar Heels but was never more than half of a committee. He led the team with 156 carries for 1,245 yards and nine touchdowns last year but teammate Javonte Williams had about the same stats but with 19 scores as the bigger back (220 lbs.) and the declared junior is expected to be a Top-5 pick. Carter projects to be another  “lesser half” of a committee in the NFL. But Carter was the only running back in the Senior Bowl with more than 18 rushing yards.

Not unlike running backs, elite college receivers leave school after their junior seasons in almost all cases. So the Senior Bowl tries to give some playing time to a large number of receivers that will likely end up as No. 2 NFL receivers at best. There are always the occasional exceptions, but the problem with the Senior Bowl and receivers is volume.

There were 20 players with a reception in this year’s game. A few were stand-outs.

WR Dez Fitzpatrick (Louisville, 6-2, 210) – Easily led all other receivers in the game with six catches for 90 yards. The Cardinal played all four years in a powerful offense but never caught more than 45 passes or gained more than 833 yards in a season. Scored nine times as a senior and while his volume was only moderate at school, he was their leading receiver.

WR Shi Smith (South Carolina 5-10, 190) – Led the American Team in the Senior Bowl with three catches for 57 yards. He’s a smaller player that uses 4.4/40-time speed to his advantage. Four-year starter for the Gamecocks, he topped up with 57 catches for 633 yards and four scores there. He’ll be a Day 3 pick by a team looking to develop a slot receiver.

TE Quintin Morris (Bowling Green, 6-4, 251) – Ended with three catches for 52 yards as the second-best receiver for the American team. Does not appear on many draft boards so far, but a nice showing at the Senior Bowl will help his case. Morris started the final three years at Bowling Green and topped out with 55 catches for 649 yards and four scores as a junior.

TE Kenny Yeboah (Ole Miss, 6-4, 247) – Caught two passes for 27 yards and a 21-yard touchdown as the longest-scoring play in the game. Will be a Top-10 tight end selected this year and can play any receiver position in the NFL including the “Y”. He too light to be an every-down blocker and turned in 27 catches for 524 yards and six touchdowns as a senior last year. Averaged 19.4 yards so he’s not a standard tight end.

The lack of an NFL Combine means the Senior Bowl was the only place to see some draft prospects playing together.  There will be more Pro Days that we’ll cover but the 2021 NFL draft will be even more of a crapshoot than most seasons. Given the opt-outs, missing games, COVID-19 issues, and a potential second year of limited practices in the summer mean even less will be known from this year’s crop.

And within that, even more  lower-drafted or rookie free agents that make NFL teams and contribute in their first year.

 

Demetric Felton among Senior Bowl’s top performers Jets could target

Jets Wire takes a look at the top performers from Saturday’s Senior Bowl that New York could target during April’s draft.

Following the completion of Saturday’s Senior Bowl, an entire week of evaluating prospects down in Mobile has finally come to an end. In the age of the pandemic, NFL teams were able to get in some in-person evaluation, in addition to interviewing some of the nation’s top seniors.

Let’s take a look at four top performers from Saturday’s game that the Jets could have their eyes on going forward.

Report: Bears have met with RB Michael Carter at Senior Bowl

The Bears are searching for depth at running back, and they met with North Carolina’s Michael Carter at the Senior Bowl.

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David Montgomery had his breakout season for the Chicago Bears in the final half of the season, but there’s still a concern about depth behind Montgomery moving forward.

Which is why it makes sense that the Bears have been scouting some of the country’s best running backs at the Senior Bowl that could serve as depth behind Montgomery.

According to BearReport.com’s Zack Pearson, the Bears spoke with North Carolina running back Michael Carter on Thursday at the Senior Bowl.

Here’s what NFL Draft Diamond’s Damond Talbot had to say about Carter.

I have fallen in love with Michael Carter from North Carolina. He is one of the best all around running backs in the NFL Draft. NFL teams want a player who can play Special Teams and a player that can play all four downs. Michael Carter is that guy. He is a solid return man, has great hands out the backfield and is hard to bring down as a ball carrier. Overall, this kid is flying up my draft board, where is he on the NFL’s radar? We will find out soon.

Last season, the Bears turned to receiver-turned-running back Cordarrelle Patterson to serve as Montgomery’s back-up, and Ryan Nall and Artavis Pierce were used sparingly.

Regardless if Chicago re-signs Patterson, the Bears would do well to bring in a young running back to develop behind Montgomery. And perhaps that’s Carter.

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North Carolina’s offense explodes at Miami

North Carolina ran up, down, over, and through tenth-ranked Miami’s defense on Saturday.

It was just two short weeks ago when Notre Dame went on the road, allowed touchdowns on the first two North Carolina possessions, and then held the Tar Heels to just three points the rest of the way in the 31-17 Irish victory.

Fast forward to today and North Carolina’s highly touted offense was on full display, blasting Miami for 62 points in their 62-26 win at Hard Rock Stadium.

Michael Carter and Javonte Williams, the same running back tandem that Notre Dame held to just 85 yards on 19 carries two weeks ago, ran for an NCAA record 544 yards.

That total is the most ever by a pair of teammates in NCAA history, besting Jarvis Thrasher (324) and Quincy Daniels (199) who combined for 523 yards as teammates with Division-III Mary Hardin-Baylor in 2007.

Carter won the teammate battle in yardage, finishing with 308 yards and a pair of scores.  Williams however found the end zone more, finding pay dirt three times while rushing for 236 yards.

As a team North Carolina wound up with 554 total rushing yards and an additional rushing touchdown from quarterback Sam Howell.

The 778 total yards by North Carolina on Saturday were a record for most ever allowed by a Miami football team.

If for some reason you weren’t already incredibly impressed with how well Notre Dame’s defense has performed this season then this should at least give a little bit more validation to that seeing as North Carolina did this against what was a top ten team.

Tale of the Tape: Top Rushers – Kyren Williams vs. Javonte Williams

Kyren Williams has slowed up a bit heading into Notre Dame’s game at North Carolina.

Kyren Williams has slowed up a bit heading into Notre Dame’s game at North Carolina. He no longer is at the century mark for his rushing average, but one should suppose he wasn’t going to run like he was in a video game all season. Still, he’s as reliable as a running back can get in the ACC, and opposing defenses must continue to plan for him. Plus, if he catches a pass from Ian Book, look out.

Either Javonte Williams or Michael Carter could be on this chart for the Tar Heels as they’re equally impressive, but for this post’s purposes, Williams gets the nod. It’s just as well since he leads North Carolina in rushing yards and has nearly four times the number of touchdowns on the ground as Carter. He will present a real challenge to the Irish’s incredible rush defense. In fact, it could be as difficult as it’s been for that part of their game all season, so we’re talking power against power here.