His skill set is very desirable in the NFL. He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He is an excellent blocker and he can even go back and field some kickoffs and punts – Matt Wells, Utah State football coach
Kerwynn Williams' NFL dreams came true Saturday afternoon when the former Utah State running back was selected by the Indianapolis Colts in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. Choosen with the 230th pick overall, Williams was the second Aggie to be drafted in 2013, joining cornerback Will Davis, who was selected in the third round by the Miami Dolphins.
The wait proved to be long, but Williams could not have asked for a much better situation. The Colts struggled to find a consistent running back in 2012, so an opportunity for playing time is potentially available. Vick Ballard is projected to be the starting running back going into the season, but he ran for just 814 yards on 211 carries for the Colts last year.
Mewelde Moore is slated to be the backup. He carried the ball just 13 times for 20 yards last season.
At Utah State, Williams ran for 1,512 yards and 15 touchdowns and caught another 45 balls for 697 yards and five touchdowns in 2012. The Las Vegas native saved his best for last, going for 235 yards and three touchdowns in the Aggies' 41-15 bowl victory over Toledo. For his efforts Williams was named MVP of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
“He is one of the fastest backs in this draft,” said ESPN analyst Todd McShay during the draft. “He is explosive on a straight line.”
Both McShay and Kiper agreed that Williams is an electrifying back and could make an impact on the Colts, at the very least in the kick return game, immediately.
Last season was Williams’ lone starting season after getting stuck behind future NFL backs Robert Turbin and Michael Smith. Sitting behind those two kept Williams from getting a lot of reps at running back, but gave him a well-rounded skill set. Head coach Matt Wells said prior to the draft that Williams would be an attractive pick for an NFL team because he can do a lot of things.
“His skill set is very desirable in the NFL,” Wells said. “He can catch the ball out of the backfield. He is an excellent blocker and he can even go back and field some kickoffs and punts.”
Utah State is the only football team in the nation to have three running backs drafted in the last two years. The last team to do that was USC in 2010-2011.
Kraig Williams is a 2010 Utah State University graduate and regular Deseret News sports blogger. He can be followed on Twitter @DesNewsKraig.