Pooka Williams: The most electric back in 2021 NFL Draft
By Seth Steere
Don’t let size fool you, Pooka Williams is an electric RB in the 2021 NFL Draft.
The first thing you think of when you hear the words “University of Kansas” is generally basketball related. The Jayhawks have one of the more prolific college basketball teams in the nation and are consistently in the running for the national championship. Today, however, it’s not the basketball team that will be garnering our attention — it’s the football team; that starts with running back Pooka Williams, who will make waves in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Kansas isn’t known for producing talent on the football field. Since the year 2000, the Jayhawks have had two alumni make the Pro Bowl, Aqib Talib, and Darrell Stuckey. Talib has made the Pro Bowl multiple years (2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016) and Stuckey only making one in 2014. Kansas has only had one player drafted in the first round during the 21st Century and that player was Talib and only 10 players in total drafted in the first round, including Talib.
The player we’ll be talking about isn’t likely to go in the first round, but he could certainly carve himself out a decent career in the NFL. That player being the previously mentioned Williams. If you saw Pooka on the street, there’s a good chance you wouldn’t suspect him to be a running back at a power-five school.
Chris Spooner at Pro Football Network sees Williams’ explosiveness as well and has identified him as a sleeper in the 2021 NFL Draft:
"“With his speed, explosiveness, and agility, Williams is the kind of player you need to get out in space. The Kansas offense did this in many ways last season, and it leads us to our last point: Williams’ versatility. In today’s NFL, coaches are always looking for those players who cause match-up nightmares for their opponents (Spooner via PFN).”"
He is undersized for the running back position and football in general; Williams is listed at 5-foot-10,170 pounds. The height isn’t the big concern, but the weight is. In the 2020 NFL Draft, there wasn’t a running back selected who weighed less than 185-pounds. There is clearly a size threshold for the NFL at the running back position, but Williams is going to make it tough to pass on him, despite his size.