Rams' Kyren Williams Teaches NFL Combine Lesson for Running Back Evaluation

Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams' poor Combine showing sunk his NFL Draft stock, and the same may happen to former teammate Audric Estime.

The NFL Scouting Combine can be one of the most exciting weeks of the NFL Draft cycle, with prospects running rampant with hype after astounding physical feats.

Others, meanwhile, see their stock fall at the combine. Notre Dame running back Audric Estime seems to be one of them. After a disappointing showing with his 40-yard dash, running a 4.72, Estime seems like a lock for the draft’s third day.

Los Angeles Rams fans, however, have seen this story before – and they liked the ending.

Dec 31, 2023; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Los Angeles Rams running back Kyren Williams (23) scores a rushing touchdown as Los Angeles Rams guard Kevin Dotson (69) blocks New York Giants linebacker Bobby Okereke (58) during the second half at MetLife Stadium / Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Rams running back Kyren Williams, a former Notre Dame man and Estime’s teammate for a season, ran an unofficial 4.72 at the Combine. His best mark would be slightly better (4.65) but inadequate nonetheless.

Subsequently, he fell to Day 3, when Los Angeles picked him in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Two years into his career, he has cemented himself as a bright piece of the Rams’ future.

This isn’t to say that because Williams ran slow and turned out to be good, Estime will, too. He’ll certainly be battling the odds and isn’t any more certain than any other prospect.

But Williams found success for the same reasons that Estime’s fans will bank on.

Williams earned head coach Sean McVay’s trust through being technically sound and oozing with competitive toughness. He hit his landmarks, made the right reads, and – even if he wasn't explosive enough to consistently hit big plays – kept the offense on schedule. On third downs, he was enough of a security blanket on check downs and earned snaps through his pass protection.

The path to playing time for Estime is similar.

Estime is a bigger, more bruising back than Williams, weighing in at 221 pounds compared to 194. They both also saw their 10-yard splits well exceed their 40-yard dash times, revealing that their burst is far superior to their long speed. Acceleration, the key to ensuring a right read at the line of scrimmage remains fruitful, is a better indicator of talent than long speed, which more closely correlates to yards per attempt than actual success.

Estime and Williams both checked the box with 10-yard splits in the top 30 percent of running backs. Further, he actually exceeds Williams (drastically) in the vertical jump (38 inches) and broad jump (10-5), making the case that he’s a better athlete than Williams was.

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He’ll fall for the same reasons, but Estime’s lack of speed isn’t particularly apparent or meaningful on film. He hits his holes, accelerates well, breaks tackles, and can stay on the field for passing downs.

As his Fighting Irish predecessor taught us, those traits are far more important than a five-second sprint in Indianapolis.