James Williams’ story is one of perseverance, family, and the joy of sport. The Washington State Cougars’ running back had to overcome homelessness, a torn ACL in high school, and many more life hurdles before becoming an instant fan favorite for juking opponents out of their jockstraps on the regular. He is incredibly easy to root for.
Watching the NFL Combine, I was very invested in his performance and excited to see how he’d stack up. When he ran a 4.58 40, I didn’t know how to feel. It made me immediately worried that scouts would use this to pile on to any Air Raid prejudice they had and dismiss Williams as someone not worth a mid-round pick.