PhinfanBo1
Scout Team
Carnell "Cadillac" Williams, after a trade down, will be the Dolphins first selection in the 2005 Draft. Write it down. I have gone through just about every scenario, and this one seems to make the most sense in the sense that a) Williams is an excellent player that would represent great value beyond the first 5 or 6 picks b) Saban isn't big on the hype names..i.e the "big name" Benson, and the guy who has caught everyone's attention with a tremendous workout. Saban likes football players c) With everyone talking about Edwards, Smith, Rodgers, Benson, Brown....this kid has gotten lost in the shuffle and Saban gets his man, a true football player, picking up some extra picks in the process.
Williams is "undersized." This is the main part of the argument against him...yea, he's not 6-0 235 like Ronnie Brown, or a battering ram like Benson, but he has a very strong, compact, muscular frame and at 5-11 217 with that type of build he is a good sized running back that can carry the load. He also runs very tough inside and is pound for pound the toughest back in the draft. Beyond that, Williams doesn't run an incredible 40 time but he is fast, let there be no doubt about that, and he has some real breakaway speed. Unlike Brown, he gets into top gear very quickly and doesn't need to build up to that speed. He has tremendous vision, he's a patient runner, he attacks the hole and makes big time yardage after contact. Combine that with his quickness, agility and moves and this is a back that I think, a couple of years from now, will be looked at as the cream of the crop from this year's draft. He is also a classy player, has good character, and is willing to work hard and do what's best for the team. That is what he's about. He also showed impressive pass catching skills at the Senior Bowl, which was nice because with Brown at Auburn he didn't get that many opportunities to show this off. Williams is a complete back that would be great for a wide open offense that already has a FB/HB hybrid in Sammy Morris for short yardage and goal line situations. Cadillac would be a 15-20 carry a game guy who can blow a game wide open and strike at any time.
Let's face it, Brown, if he ran a 4.65 and didn't decieve people with outstanding sprinter speed (but less game speed, breakaway ability, quickness, agility than Williams) would be looked at as a J.J Johnson type of guy and would go much later in the draft. Benson is a very, very good runner...but not a team player and a guy that has a lot of wear and tear on him. The Dolphins are going to pick up Williams, pick up an extra 2nd and 3rd probably, and then draft a guy like Charlie Frye and a Safety like Brodney Pool (if we can move Surtain) later on.
Williams is "undersized." This is the main part of the argument against him...yea, he's not 6-0 235 like Ronnie Brown, or a battering ram like Benson, but he has a very strong, compact, muscular frame and at 5-11 217 with that type of build he is a good sized running back that can carry the load. He also runs very tough inside and is pound for pound the toughest back in the draft. Beyond that, Williams doesn't run an incredible 40 time but he is fast, let there be no doubt about that, and he has some real breakaway speed. Unlike Brown, he gets into top gear very quickly and doesn't need to build up to that speed. He has tremendous vision, he's a patient runner, he attacks the hole and makes big time yardage after contact. Combine that with his quickness, agility and moves and this is a back that I think, a couple of years from now, will be looked at as the cream of the crop from this year's draft. He is also a classy player, has good character, and is willing to work hard and do what's best for the team. That is what he's about. He also showed impressive pass catching skills at the Senior Bowl, which was nice because with Brown at Auburn he didn't get that many opportunities to show this off. Williams is a complete back that would be great for a wide open offense that already has a FB/HB hybrid in Sammy Morris for short yardage and goal line situations. Cadillac would be a 15-20 carry a game guy who can blow a game wide open and strike at any time.
Let's face it, Brown, if he ran a 4.65 and didn't decieve people with outstanding sprinter speed (but less game speed, breakaway ability, quickness, agility than Williams) would be looked at as a J.J Johnson type of guy and would go much later in the draft. Benson is a very, very good runner...but not a team player and a guy that has a lot of wear and tear on him. The Dolphins are going to pick up Williams, pick up an extra 2nd and 3rd probably, and then draft a guy like Charlie Frye and a Safety like Brodney Pool (if we can move Surtain) later on.
