Former Notre Dame Star Kyren Williams Lands Major Payday with Rams

Despite starring at Notre Dame, Kyren Williams wasn't viewed by many as a big-time NFL draft prospect. Williams fell to the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft when the Los Angeles Rams scooped him up with the 164th overall pick.

After a rookie year that didn't result in much playing time for Williams, he broke out in a big way in 2023. Williams ran for 1,144 yards that season, good for third-most in the NFL while his 95.3 rushing yards per game led the league.

Last season, Williams had a better year, production-wise, rushing for 1,299 yards despite ranking seventh in the league in that category. He finished in the top-five for touchdowns scored in the league in each of those two seasons.

Williams enters the 2025 season as the clear-cut No. 1 running back for the Rams, and looks to help them build on playoff success that ended with a divisional round appearance last season.

Kyren Williams: A Look at a Strong Two Seasons at Notre Dame

Kyren Williams has a fairly big Midwest recruit as a running back out of St. Louis back in the 2019 recruiting cycle, but hardly a bigtime national prospect. Williams chose Notre Dame over the likes of Illinois, Missouri, Iowa, Iowa State, Michigan, and a few others.

Like in the NFL, Williams didn't do much his first season at Notre Dame, getting just four touches that season. He quickly broke out in 2020 though, rushing for 1,125 yards and hauling in another 313 through the air, all while totaling 14 touchdowns and helping lead Notre Dame to a College Football Playoff appearance.

A year later, Williams again broke the 1,000 yard mark, while pulling in 359 more yards through the air. His 17 touchdowns helped pace Notre Dame to an 11-1 regular season mark and had the Irish knocking on the door of a College Football Playoff appearance.

Williams' 2,153 career rushing yards in essentially two seasons were enough to rank him as the 14th leading rusher in Notre Dame football history.