Kansas football: Pooka Williams included in top 100 NFL Draft prospects
Pooka Williams has been phenomenal during his time with Kansas football and he’s well on his way to playing on Sundays.
As one of the best-rated high school prospects to ever commit to Kansas football, Pooka Williams has not disappointed. He’s been running all over defenses in the Big 12, and he’s already been named first-team All-Big 12 in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
With a total of 2,167 rushing yards thus far, another 1,000-yard season would make him fourth all-time at Kansas in rushing yards, and he’d also pass the great Gale Sayers. Should Williams come back for his senior year, he’d almost certainly be the all-time leader in rushing yards, and maybe even the greatest running back in Kansas football history.
There’s no guarantee Williams will return for his senior year though. As a matter of fact, Williams was listed at No. 87 in CBS‘s 2021 NFL Draft big board, and he was No. 9 out of the running backs.
While it would make sense for Williams to come back to Kansas to finish out his career, keep in mind the kind of money Williams would be turning down. Assuming that Williams would be taken with the No. 87 overall pick isn’t accurate, but it’s pretty safe to assume that he’d be projected to go somewhere in round three, at least as of now.
A comparable case to Williams might be running back Darrynton Evans of Appalachian State who waived his senior year of eligibility in order to enter the 2020 NFL Draft. Evans was taken with the No. 93 overall pick with an expected contract value of $4,228,364 plus an $877,665 signing bonus according to Spotrac.
That’s a hefty sum, and who knows; maybe Williams will feel that he’s ready to make the jump from college to the pros.
The best of the Bill Self era. light. must read
Like any other pro prospect weighing their options, Pooka will have to decide whether or not another season of college is worth it. As a Kansas Jayhawks fan, I sincerely hope he returns, but if he decides to enter the draft, then he’s doing what he believes is best for him and I can respect and understand that.