WATCH: Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams reacts to being drafted by Los Angeles Rams

On3 imageby:Patrick Engel04/30/22

PatrickEngel_

Former Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams took a life-changing call Saturday afternoon.

The reigning Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams selected the former Irish captain and two-time 1,000-yard rusher in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, selecting him No. 164 overall.

His reaction met the moment.

Notre Dame football’s official Twitter account sent out a video of Williams on the phone with the Rams, friends and family surrounding him.

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“Coach, you got the one, I promise you,” Williams says, fighting back tears. “I swear to goodness, I’m going to come in there, I’m going to do everything and I promise y’all are going to get everything from me. I’m going to change it.”

Shortly after, in a separate video, Williams and a few family members celebrate as he unloads a joyous scream.

“It’s going to be so legendary,” Williams says. “They’re going to have to feel me.”

The Rams made Williams the 15th running back chosen in the 2022 draft. He will begin his NFL career playing for the team he followed growing up in St. Louis. The Rams moved from there to Los Angeles following the 2015 season when Williams was a freshman in high school. Steven Jackson, the franchise’s all-time leading rusher, was his childhood favorite player.

Williams declared for the draft after three seasons at Notre Dame. He was the Irish’s starter in 2020 and 2021, rushing for 2,127 yards (5.1 yards per carry) and 27 touchdowns in that span. He added 78 career receptions for 675 yards and four touchdowns. He was also Notre Dame’s primary punt returner in 2021.

The 5-9, 194-pound Williams was the first Notre Dame running back drafted since Dexter Williams in 2019 and sixth since 2000. He joins a Rams backfield that returns two of its three main contributors from 2021. The leading returning rusher is Darrell Henderson, who ran for 688 yards on 149 carries in 2021. Cam Akers, a 2020 second-round pick, missed most of the season with an Achilles injury but returned for the final playoffs. He will try to carve out a role alongside those two as a rookie. Sony Michel (team-high 845 yards) is a free agent.

“He’s doesn’t have the height, the weight, the speed,” ESPN analyst Todd McShay said on the draft broadcast. “He’s 5-9, 194 pounds and ran a poor time in the 40 at the combine for a running back, 4.65. But he’s quick, he’s shifty, he has really good vision. He runs with suddenness and urgency. With a smaller back, his ability to pick and slide, change direction – he’s not an ankle breaker, but he’s certainty shifty enough to create some yards on his own.

“He’s not afraid to put his face in the fan in pass protection. He really takes a lot of pride in that. I think you’re getting a really good guy. We know what he is. He’s a backup, a rotational player. He’s going to help on special teams as well.”

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