Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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38 APRIL 2022 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED Williams fared better in his do-over at Notre Dame pro day. He ran a 4.54, an im- provement of 0.11 seconds from the com- bine. It still would have ranked 18th out of 27 running backs at the combine, but it's an acceptable speed for a running back. He clocked a 4.19 20-yard shuttle and 6.94 three-cone drill, which are good measures of a running back's quickness. Between the improved testing numbers and an im- pressive receiving workout, pre-draft pro- cess swung back into a more positive light. If Kiper is as steep in his conviction as he sounds, though, no pro day result would have changed his view. He ranked Williams as the No. 4 running back in the draft before the combine. What does that equate to in draft range? "I think he should be a fourth-round pick," Kiper said. "I don't know if he will go there or not, but he should go no later than round four." That's about where he sees Notre Dame wide receiver Kevin Austin Jr. going after a standout combine performance. Austin ran a 4.43 40-yard dash (14th out of 32 receivers), posted a 39-inch vertical (fifth out of 34) and broad jumped 11 feet (fifth out of 34). He was not in Kiper's pre- combine top 10 receiver rankings. Other analysts didn't include him in the top 25. Now? "He has moved up," Kiper said. "He's a guy, early Day 3, you'd look at." Kiper likes Austin's 2021 tape, too, even with its ups and downs. He led Notre Dame with 888 receiving yards, averaged 18.5 yards per catch and was the team's best deep threat. He caught seven touchdowns and posted 100-yard games in three of his final five outings. It was enough to sell Kiper despite a catchless game against Purdue and a rough one-reception day against first-round cornerback prospect Ahmad Gardner and Cincinnati. "He eliminated most of the drops," Kiper said. "He became much more consistent, a go-to guy who was able to high-point it. He has the size. He cer- tainly has the ability to beat you down the field vertically. The consistency is still evolving. He's a work in progress. He came a long way this year." So did the man who threw Austin the ball, apparently. Quarterback Jack Coan's arm strength was a deterrent to Kiper heading into the season, if not a deal- breaker. But Kiper saw enough elsewhere from Coan this year to buy into him as a No. 2 quarterback in the NFL. He echoed other scouts and analysts in touting Coan's steadiness and trustworthiness, which NFL evaluators noted during the East-West Shrine Bowl. Those are two im- portant traits when looking for backups. "Is the arm going to be good enough to get drafted?" Kiper said. "But he's smart. He's accurate. A steady, steady guy who you want as a backup. He's a ca- reer backup in the NFL in my opinion. I think he goes in the sixth, seventh round area, and that's what he becomes. We've seen that. Are guys able to come in dur- ing a pinch? Case Keenum has starting experience, but he's played as a backup. "Coan, maybe not a starter like that, but could be. We've seen those former Wisconsin quarterbacks — he was at Wis- consin, now Notre Dame — develop into exactly that outside of Russell Wilson." There's one more late-round name to watch: defensive lineman Myron Tago- vailoa-Amosa, a starter at defensive end in 2021 after spending four years at tackle. He drew strong reviews at the Shrine Bowl before posting average combine numbers among the defensive ends who tested. "The versatility with him, he fits a lot of various schemes," Kiper said. "In my rankings a couple weeks ago, I had him in there. This week, I bumped him out because I didn't go as deep. But he would be in that 12 to 13 range, and if you had to stack them on the board at that position, it'd put him mid-to-late Day 3. "I think he makes a football team and can be a rotation guy for you." ✦ ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. believes Kyren Williams will be drafted no later than the fourth round. PHOTO BY CHAD WEAVER