Draft Prospect You Need To Know: ACC

There were a few moments in his first two seasons at Florida State when he backed up the buzz (blowing up Florida’s Loucheiz Purifoy on a kickoff return, the game-sealing interception with a minute left in the 2012 ACC Championship).

Greatness, it seems, is back on the table when talk turns to Karlos Williams, the running back.

Williams was moved to offense earlier in the week, and though he spent the season third on the Seminoles depth chart, he finished the year as their second-leading rusher (730 yards), finished seventh in the ACC with 11 touchdowns and was sixth nationally with his 8.0 yards per carry.

And Williams, who was still looking to make his mark as a safety at this time a year ago, enters the new season as Florida State’s feature back.

Williams was moved to running back, in large part, because of his athletic gifts.

Williams showed terrific progress over the course of the 2013 in lowering his pad level; when he’s able to do that consistently, he’ll be able to be an even more powerful runner and take away the big strike zone taller backs provide to defenders.

Playing behind Florida State’s offensive line is a blessing for running backs, so Williams quite often should find himself sprung to the second level before having to make anyone miss.