Javonte Williams (born April 25, 2000) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

for the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquart ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

and was drafted by the Broncos in the second round of the

2021 NFL Draft The 2021 NFL Draft was the 86th National Football League Draft, the annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2021 NFL season. The draft was held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1, 2021 ...

Early years

Williams attended Wallace-Rose Hill High School in

Teachey, North Carolina Teachey is a town in Duplin County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 376 at the 2010 census. Geography Teachey is located in southwestern Duplin County at (34.769292, -78.006933). U.S. Route 117 passes through the center of town ...

. As a senior, he rushed for 2,271 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. He committed to the

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States ...

, his only FBS offer. He graduated as his school’s valedictorian.

College career

As a true freshman at North Carolina in 2018, Williams played in 11 games, rushing 43 times for 224 yards and five touchdowns. As a sophomore in 2019, he played in all 13 games and shared carries with Michael Carter. He ran for 933 yards on 166 carries with five touchdowns. Williams returned to North Carolina in 2020 and again shared carries with Carter. Throughout the 2020 season, Williams was statistically one of the top running backs in the country. Williams' name was mentioned during the season as a "dark horse" candidate for the 2020

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

. Against

Miami (FL) Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, Williams and backfield counterpart Carter combined for an NCAA-record 544 rushing yards as a duo in the Tar Heels' 62–26 blowout victory. Williams and Carter were both named to the 2020 Pro Football Focus First-team All-America at the running back position. PFF also named him the 2020 ACC Football Player of the Year with a record-breaking 95.9 PFF rushing grade, the highest rushing grade in a single season since the site began covering college players.

Professional career

Williams was selected by the

in the second round, 35th overall, of the

. Williams signed his four-year rookie contract with Denver on July 23, 2021.

2021 season: Rookie year

Heading into his first training camp, Williams competed with

Royce Freeman Royce Deion Freeman (born February 24, 1996) is an American football running back for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oregon. High school career Freeman attended Imperial High School in Im ...

and

Mike Boone Mike Boone (born June 30, 1995) is an American football running back for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Cincinnati and signed with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2018. ...

for the backup running back role. After the Broncos released Freeman during final roster cuts, they officially named Williams the backup running back, behind veteran starter

Melvin Gordon Melvin Gordon III (born April 13, 1993) is an American football running back for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Wisconsin, and was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the first roun ...

. Williams made his NFL debut in the Broncos' Week 1 victory against the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. ...

, recording 14 carries for 45 yards. Williams scored his first professional rushing touchdown against the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

in Week 3, as the Broncos won the game 26–0. In Week 9, against the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

, he had his first game going over 100 rushing yards with 111 on 17 carries. Williams received his first career start in Week 12 against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

, as he replaced an injured

. Williams finished the game with 23 carries for 102 yards, six receptions for 76 yards and a receiving touchdown, though the Broncos lost the game 22–9. Overall, Williams finished his rookie season appearing in all 17 games (one start) and recorded 203 carries for 903 yards (4.4 YPC) and four rushing touchdowns plus 43 receptions for 319 yards and three receiving touchdowns.

2022

In Week 1, Williams had 108 scrimmage yards in the 17–16 loss to the

Seattle Seahawks The Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle. The Seahawks compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) West, which they rejoined in 2002 as ...

. In the loss, he had 11 receptions. During Week 4 against the

Las Vegas Raiders The Las Vegas Raiders are a professional American football team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Raiders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West divis ...

, Williams went down with a knee injury and left the game. It was later revealed that he suffered tears to the ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner. The injury prematurely ended his 2022 season.

NFL career statistics

References

External links

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Denver Broncos bioNorth Carolina Tar Heels bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Javonte 2000 births Living people People from Wallace, North Carolina Players of American football from North Carolina American football running backs North Carolina Tar Heels football players Denver Broncos players