Los Angeles Rams officially sign Notre Dame draft pick Kyren Williams

The Los Angeles Rams made one of their draft picks official the other day. According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, Kyren Williams has inked a deal with LA. Wilson tweeted that Williams and another future Ram had signed their rookie deals as of Monday afternoon.

Kyren Williams comes from Notre Dame, where he played three seasons for the Irish. Two of which included him as the offense’s featured running back. He enjoyed back-to-back 1,000-yard rushing seasons as a sophomore and junior — despite having COVID impact the 2020 season.

In his most recent season, this past fall, Williams carried the ball 204 times for 1,002 yards while averaging 4.9 yards per attempt. Including his work in the passing game, Williams touched the ball a total of 246 times and racked up 1,361 total yards from scrimmage in 2021. Good for 5.5 yards per touch overall.

The reigning champion LA Rams liked that production enough to draft Kyren Williams in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. And as of Monday, he’s officially a Ram.

Todd McShay believes Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams was the Los Angeles Rams’ best NFL Draft pick

It took more time than one might have expected while watching former Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams play last fall, but that no longer matters.

On Saturday, ESPN’s Todd McShay listed Williams as his favorite of eight picks the Rams made this weekend.

“The cost of doing Super Bowl-winning business is sometimes waiting until late on Day 2 for a selection. (In the Rams’ case, that is always the case these days.),” McShay wrote. “It’s tough to make too much of a statement on draft weekend with that kind of pick capital. But Williams on Day 3 is a sneaky value.”

The elusive 5-9, 195-pound back was the third selection Los Angeles made, as the vast majority of their picks came on Day 3. By this point, the reigning Super Bowl champions thought it was time to make a trade to grab Williams before it was too late. They sent the Las Vegas Raiders a seventh-round selection to move up 11 picks to grab the Notre Dame star.

“I like what he brings to the Rams’ offense,” McShay said. “Suddenness. Contact balance. Underrated pass-catching ability. Those are all valuable traits in the NFL. But ball security has been a bit of an issue, and the speed isn’t all that exciting; Williams ran a 4.65 at the combine. Still, a trio of Cam Akers, Darrell Henderson Jr. (who is a free agent in 2023) and Williams could do some damage.”