Andre

Williams

His “official” time turned out as 4.56. The long speed is good for a back who weighed in at just under 6-foot and 230 pounds, though Williams lacks lateral elusiveness and is a two-down banger. He didn’t play at all in the B.C. passing game, and frankly cannot catch. Williams projects as a mid- to late-round draft pick. He’s a straight-linish, downhill hammerhead.

Williams was listed at 6-foot, 227 by B.C. The 2013 Doak Walker award winner as the nation’s top running back, Williams is an incredibly decisive runner without special tools. But he never wastes steps and projects as an efficient NFL back, especially in short-yardage situations. He’s like a souped-up BenJarvus Green-Ellis. We expect Williams to be drafted on the third day in May.

If he means bounce back as into the backfield for a loss, he may have a point. The owner of a career 3.2 yards-per-carry average, Williams should not be taking work from Rashad Jennings or fifth-round rookie Paul Perkins.

It has certainly seemed that way through two preseason games. Williams has just 56 yards on 15 preseason carries (3.7 YPC), but he has shown signs of life with a couple chunk plays. Even so, he is a minor threat to Rashad Jennings’ workload.

The No. 113 overall pick of the 2014 draft, Williams has specialized in smashing into brick walls and falling down. He’s a “power” runner who doesn’t bowl people over, a major problem since he lacks speed and has stone hands. It’s frankly surprising he lasted as long as he did in New York. Williams owns a pathetic 3.20 YPC on 305 career carries.

Williams was beat out in New York by Orleans Darkwa, rookie Paul Perkins, and Bobby Rainey, but the former fourth-rounder quickly finds a new home where he’ll likely slide in as Melvin Gordon’s direct backup on early downs.

In a telling case study of the sunk-cost fallacy, the Giants have yet to give up on Williams despite his terrible performance through two seasons. His fourth-round pedigree certainly has something to do with that decision, and that draft cost could prevent New York from moving on even if Williams is outperformed by Darkwa in camp.

Most ominously, Williams played in the fourth quarter of the fourth preseason game, strongly suggesting his roster spot is not secure. He played behind Orleans Darkwa and rookie Paul Perkins. Williams didn’t touch the ball in the Giants’ regular season dress rehearsal last week. The inefficient third-year back finishes the preseason with 91 yards on 25 carries (3.64 YPC).

Williams peeled off one 14-yard run and was otherwise persistently buried in the backfield, managing one yard combined on his other five totes. Williams does appear to be second in line for carries in the Giants’ backfield, but he isn’t posing a significant threat to Rashad Jennings’ workload.

The G-Men employed a stunningly ineffective committee for the majority of 2015 before leaning on Jennings down the stretch. Jennings got the ball 86 times over New York’s final four games, creating 521 yards from scrimmage. For the season, he averaged a healthy 4.4 yards per carry. Jennings is 31 with a bit of an injury history, but he’s currently a dirt cheap RB2 in fantasy drafts.