Dexter Williams is used to waiting. He had to wait while Josh Adams received the bulk of Notre Dame’s carries in a record-setting career. He had to wait while quietly serving a four-game suspension to begin his final season. And Williams had to wait until the sixth round of the NFL draft for the Green Bay Packers to select him No. 194 overall.
Williams rushed for 995 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2018 on 156 carries, despite those four games on the sideline. He took his very first attempt of the season for a 45-yard touchdown against Stanford, immediately setting the tone in a 38-17 victory against the then-No. 7 Cardinal. While it was his only score, Williams ran for 161 yards that evening, leading the way for a rushing attack that gashed Stanford for 281 yards and 5.2 yards per carry (sacks adjusted). He finished his Irish career with 1,636 yards and 20 touchdowns on 257 attempts.
Williams becomes the fourth Notre Dame running back drafted this century. The previous three all put together solid NFL careers; two of those — Theo Riddick in 2013 (No. 199 overall) and C.J. Prosise in 2016 (No. 90) — remain in the league, and the other — Julius Jones in 2004 (No. 43) — lasted seven years and rushed for more than 5,000 yards in his career.
Williams rejoins former Irish teammates quarterback DeShone Kizer and receiver Equanimeous St. Brown in Green Bay.
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