Broncos HC Sean Payton said Thursday that RB Javonte Williams looks like a "completely different player" this year compared to last. Williams, of course, was working his way back from a multi-ligament knee injury last season.
More Payton on Williams: "Javonte's down 10 pounds. ... Last year at this time, in fairness to him, he was recovering still, inside of eight months of an ACL. He's fully healthy now. And you can see it in his play."
Williams' training camp started with speculation that he was battling for a roster spot. Reports on his play have been glowing since. Multiple beat writers have noted that Williams looks more explosive this year -- and that he appears to be Denver's No. 1 RB.
Payton also talked up the other RBs on Thursday, particularly Jaleel McLaughlin. We continue to expect this to be a two- or three-RB committee. But Williams remains the favorite to lead the way in carries, while also playing a healthy role in the passing game. There's RB2-level upside here.
Williams' Underdog ADP tanked after the roster bubble speculation, bottoming out at 10.08. But it's started to rebound and now sits at 10.03. We wouldn't be surprised to see that continue to climb. But Williams will remain a solid draft target at least up into Round 8.
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