Marquez Williams FB Jacksonville Jaguars, 7th Round 240th Overall Pick Overall
Williams transferred to Miami for his Senior season after playing his first three at Division II Mars Hill. He helped the Hurricanes running game improve tremendously over 2015.
Miami improved its rushing attack from 119.9 yards per game and 3.7 yards per carry in 2015 to 151.8 YPG and 4.5 YPC. Williams was given the Hard Hitter award at the team’s end of the year banquet in December. He paved the way for Mark Walton to rush for 1,117 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Williams goes to a Jacksonville team that had great difficulty running the football last season. They were 22nd in rushing yards last season, 29th in rushing touchdowns and 17th in yards per carry.
The yard per carry average is a bit misleading. Quarterback Blake Bortles averaged 6.8 yards per carry and the Jaguars wide receivers also had some success. The Jags top three running backs, T.J. Yeldon, Chris Ivory and Denard Robinson averaged only 3.63 yards per carry. Taking out Bortles’ carries lowers the Jaguars YPC from 4.2 to 3.8.
"At ACC Media Days last summer, Miami Head Coach Mark Richt said of Williams: “He’s what a fullback should look like”."
Williams might have a chance to earn the starting fullback position. Tommy Bohanon is the only Fullback currently on the Jaguars roster. He is likely going to have to be able to play special teams as well.
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Bohanon who is in his fifth season from Wake Forest was a seventh-round pick by the Jets in the 2013 NFL Draft. He went to high school in North Fort Myers. He joined the Jaguars after being cut in camp with the Jets last season.