Mel Kiper Jr.: ‘I’m not going to change my grade’ on Notre Dame RB Kyren Williams despite disappointing NFL Combine

Notre Dame running back Kyren Williams’ name appeared on several “NFL Combine losers” lists earlier this month.

The former Irish star posted the slowest 40-yard dash time among those at his position at the league’s annual scouting convention (4.65 seconds). His 32-inch vertical placed him in the middle of the pack. His 9-foot, 8-inch broad jump tied for second shortest.

Not the impression a player intent on proving he’s more than a third-down or rotational piece wanted to leave. His status as a potential Day 2 pick and top-five running back prospect felt tenuous. It’d be one thing if he were a bigger back. But he’s 5-9 and 194 pounds.

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Hang on, says ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. The original NFL Draft guru and the father of mock drafts is adamant about not abandoning ship. He still thinks Williams has a claim to be Notre Dame’s second player chosen next month after safety Kyle Hamilton – Kiper’s No. 2 pick in his most recent mock.

“Kyren Williams is underrated,” Kiper said. “People are going to look at that 40 time — it doesn’t matter. Emmitt Smith ran like 4.58, 4.6. I don’t care about 40 times for running backs. The quickness, the instincts, the vision, the breaking tackles, blocking, catching. Kyren Williams is a good football player. I’m not going to change my grade on him.”

Williams has a 40-yard dash redo opportunity, if he chooses it use it, at Notre Dame’s pro day on Friday. It’s not known what drills he will do at pro day, but he did not run the 20-yard shuttle, 60-yard shuttle or three-cone drill at the combine. Those are often good measures of quickness for a running back. If he does them and the results support the quicker-than-fast label often given to him, his overall pre-draft process might gain a more positive light.

If Kiper is as steep in his conviction as he sounds, though, no pro day result would change his view. He ranked Williams as the No. 4 running back in the draft before the combine. What does that equate to in draft range?

“I think he should be a fourth-round pick,” Kiper said. “I don’t know if he will go there or not, but he should go no later than round four.”

That’s about where he sees Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. going after a standout combine performance. Austin ran a 4.43 40-yard dash (14th out of 32 receivers), posted a 39-inch vertical (fifth out of 34) and broad jumped 11 feet (fifth out of 34). He was not in Kiper’s pre-combine top 10 receiver rankings. Other analysts didn’t include him in the top 25.

Now?

“He has moved up,” Kiper said. “He’s a guy, early Day 3, you’d look at.”

Kiper likes Austin’s 2021 tape too, even with its ups and downs. He led Notre Dame with 888 receiving yards, averaged 18.5 yards per catch and was the team’s best deep threat. He caught seven touchdowns and posted 100-yard games in three of his final five outings. It was enough to sell Kiper despite a catchless game against Purdue and a rough one-reception day against first-round cornerback prospect Ahmad Gardner and Cincinnati.

“He eliminated most of the drops,” Kiper said. “He became much more consistent, a go-to guy who was able to high-point it. He has the size. He certainly has the ability to beat you down the field vertically. The consistency is still evolving. He’s a work in progress. He came a long way this year.”

So did the man who threw Austin the ball, apparently. Quarterback Jack Coan’s arm strength was a deterrent to Kiper heading into the season, if not a deal-breaker. But Kiper saw enough elsewhere from Coan this year to buy into him as a No. 2 quarterback in the NFL. He echoed other scouts and analysts in touting Coan’s steadiness and trustworthiness, which NFL evaluators noted during the East-West Shrine Bowl. Those are two important traits when looking for backups.

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“Is the arm going to be good enough to get drafted?” Kiper said. “But he’s smart. He’s accurate. A steady, steady guy who you want as a backup. He’s a career backup in the NFL in my opinion. I think he goes in the sixth, seventh round area and that’s what he becomes. We’ve seen that. Are guys able to come in during a pinch? Case Keenum has starting experience, but he’s played as a backup.

“Coan, maybe not a starter like that, but could be. We’ve seen those former Wisconsin quarterbacks — he was at Wisconsin, now Notre Dame – develop into exactly that outside of Russell Wilson.”

There’s one more late-round name to watch: defensive lineman Myron Tagovailoa-Amosa, a starter at defensive end in 2021 after spending four years at tackle. He drew strong reviews at the Shrine Bowl before posting average combine numbers among the defensive ends who tested.

“The versatility with him, he fits a lot of various schemes,” Kiper said. “[In] my rankings a couple weeks ago, I had him in there. This week, I bumped him out because I didn’t go as deep. But he would be in that 12 to 13 range, and if you had to stack them on the board at that position, it’d put him mid-to-late Day 3. I think he makes a football team and can be a rotation guy for you.”