UNC football’s Javonte Williams picked by Denver in NFL draft
The Denver Broncos selected North Carolina running back Javonte Williams with the 35th overall pick in the second round of the NFL draft on Friday. He’s the highest pick from UNC since the Chicago Bears took quarterback Mitch Trubisky No. 2 overall in 2017.
Williams, 5-foot-9, 212-pounds, was the third running back picked overall behind Alabama’s Najee Harris, who went 24th overall to the Pittsburgh Steelers; and Clemson’s Travis Etienne, who went 25th to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Williams is the first of what should be five Tar Heels who get selected over the next two days of the draft. Receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome, linebacker Chazz Surratt and running back Michael Carter are all expected to be picked.
Williams is a native of Wallace, a town of about 3,000 not far from the coast, where most residents refer to him by his nickname, “Pookie.” Because he didn’t switch to running back at Wallace-Rose Hill until his senior year, Williams was an afterthought for most Football Bowl Subdivision schools -- including Carolina. It wasn’t until he rushed for 224 yards in the 2017 state 2A championship game in Kenan Stadium, that he finally got an offer from then-UNC coach Larry Fedora.
“Just coming from where I come from, not that many people get a chance to be in a position that I’m in now,” Williams told reporters before UNC’s Pro Day last month. “I was very under recruited coming out of high school. But I feel like everything is a blessing and everything happen for a reason so honestly, I just feel like this is my destiny.”
His freshman year under Fedora, he was primarily just a short-yardage back. He proved to be way more than that under Mack Brown. Williams was just 67 yards short of having 1,000 yards as a sophomore. Williams rushed for 1,140 yards, which was second on the team last season, and led the ACC with 19 rushing touchdowns.
“He’s so powerful and he just bounced off players week in and week out,” Brown told reporters last month. “And that big back sometimes in the fourth quarter is a lot better than any back is in the first quarter because he just keep pounding and pounding and pounding and that’s who he was.”
Williams, who averaged 7.3 yards per carry last season as a junior, graded out as the top running back in the nation according to Pro Football Focus, ahead of Harris and Etienne. He led the nation with 75 avoided tackles and was second with 42 carries for 10 or more yards. Williams was second team Associated Press All-America and All-ACC first team.
Williams and Carter shared carries in Carolina’s backfield: Williams had 157 carries to Carter’s 156. While it hindered either one from posting bigger stats individually, Williams credited the system for helping to keep him healthy and not take a big physical toll on his body.
“I feel like a lot of players get overworked and have like their best football while they’re in college,” Williams said. “But the two-back system and my sophomore year having three backs for that year kept me fresh. I feel like my best football is ahead of me.”
This story was originally published April 30, 2021 at 7:34 PM.