ESPN ranks Javonte Williams a top-10 RB in the NFL, Gordon not on list
Jul 12, 2022, 1:35 PM
Another day, another ESPN poll ranking the top-10 players by position in the NFL.
We told you about Justin Simmons being ranked the No. 1 safety and Russell Wilson checking in at No. 8 among QBs, but the Denver Broncos earned another selection on Tuesday.
Running back Javonte Williams cracked the list, landing at No. 10 in the league among running backs. The second-year player out of North Carolina is behind Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Nick Chubb, Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, Joe Mixon, Christian McCaffrey, Najee Harris and Aaron Jones. He tied with Austin Ekeler from the Chargers, but won the tiebreaker to secure the spot.
ESPN conducted the poll based on a survey of “more than 50 league executives, coaches, scouts and players to help us stack the top 10 players at 11 different positions.” They’ve been releasing one list each day.
“You can’t get him on the ground, can’t tackle him,” an NFL personnel official told ESPN about Williams. “That kid is really good. Depends which offense you’re running in that [Ekeler vs. Williams] discussion, and Ekeler is really, really good. But with Williams you just can see defenses feeling like, ‘I’m tired of tackling him.’ He’s not as fast as Taylor but has everything else.”
Interestingly enough, Broncos running back Melvin Gordon didn’t receive a single vote. Including honorable mentions and players receiving at least one vote, 16 running backs made the list. Williams was ranked as high as No. 2 overall on some ballots and didn’t receive a vote on others.
The fact that one voter put Williams at No. 2 is pretty crazy. To be in the same conversation as guys like Henry, Taylor, Chubb and Cook is an incredible endorsement.
And as for Gordon, clearly influential folks around the NFL don’t think that highly of him. Not a single person polled views him as a top-10 back, and that may be a reason it took him so long to find a new contract this offseason.
How will it all shake out? That remains to be seen. But it’s clear fans want Williams to be the No. 1 back and people in the league agree. We’ll see if the new Broncos coaching staff feels the same way come September.
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