Detroit Lions 2017 NFL Draft Watchlist: Utah vs. Colorado

Retired?

Running back Joe Williams (#28, 5’11”, 205) is one of the more interesting stories this draft season. Williams stepped into a starting role in November of last year after Devontae Booker (Denver Broncos) went down with an injury. He was the obvious starter entering this season but after two games he abruptly retired due to concerns over multiple injuries over his career.

Over the next month, Utah would go on to lose their next three running backs to injury, prompting Williams to end his retirement to help out his team. He didn’t miss a beat, rushing for 1,013 yards over five games, including a 332 outing vs UCLA and 172 vs Washington’s elite defense.

NFL.com’s Chad Reuter said this following his game vs Washington:

"Williams ran 35 times for 172 yards and a TD on Saturday against a tough Washington defense. He ran angry this weekend, running behind his pads between the tackles and bringing the heat to defenders whenever possible. A north-south runner, Williams lacks elite agility and struggles to keep his shoulders square to cut quickly once he tries to bounce runs outside. But if scouts believe he’s all-in on a career in the NFL and are looking for a guy to pound the ball in a power-running scheme, they’ll be very interested in Williams."

And that last sentence is the real question for scouts: He already retired from Utah, will he retire from the NFL unexpectedly? This will be a real dilemma for teams because the talent is there.