Javonte Williams has been “overlooked” his whole football life
Apr 30, 2021, 7:18 PM
Javonte Williams has always been overlooked on the football field, so much so he nearly didn’t play the position — running back — that earned him a ticket into the NFL.
“Just having to sit there throughout the whole draft yesterday was hard for me,” said Williams, who was drafted 35th overall in the second round by the Denver Broncos on Friday night.
“I’ve always been overlooked my whole career. So that’s just something else for me to even go harder,” Williams added.
Even in high school, stuck behind two Division-I caliber upperclassmen running backs, Williams was told he would have to play defense if he wanted to play at all.
“So, I started playing linebacker, and I was pretty good at it,” Williams said. “My junior year, when they graduated, (my coach) kept me at linebacker. He said he’d rather have me at linebacker than at running back. So, I stayed there.”
It was only until his senior year, when his new head coach noticed he wasn’t getting any offers from colleges, did he switch to running back.
“When he came in, he was like, ‘Why do you have no offers?’ I was like, ‘Most schools passed and said I’m too short.’ So, he switched me to running back,” Williams said.
And run the ball he did, compiling 2,271 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns in his senior season at Wallace-Rose High School.
But by then most colleges couldn’t find Williams an offer, save for one: North Carolina.
“My last game of my senior year in the state championship game, we played at UNC. And coach (Larry) Fedora offered me (a scholarship) right after the game,” said Williams, who rushed for 207 yards and two touchdowns in an overtime win for the schools fourth consecutive title.
From there, Williams went on to rush for 2,297 yards and 29 touchdowns for the Tar Heels before landing with the Broncos in round two of the NFL Draft.
“I’m just so excited. I’m just blessed to be in this position. It’s something I’ve always wanted since I started,” Williams said. “This is really the reason I started playing football at a young age. Just to be here is a blessing.”
