Draft analyst sees Steelers taking UNC running back Javonte Williams in 1st round

NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah sees the Pittsburgh Steelers taking a running back in the first round. Just not the player who is on the top of most scout’s draft boards.

Alabama’s Najee Harris is considered the top runner in this year’s class, but Jeremiah recently moved another power runner, North Carolina’s Javonte Williams, ahead of Harris in his latest rankings. And Jeremiah thinks Williams could be available for the Steelers, who hold the No. 24 overall pick.

“I wouldn’t be just limited to Harris,” Jeremiah said Tuesday on a draft conference call. “When I updated my list, I had Javonte Williams over Harris. He is a really good player. He’d be a great fit for Pittsburgh.”

After finishing last in the NFL in rushing, the Steelers are expected to revamp the running game behind new offensive coordinator Matt Canada. James Conner, the starter in each of the past three seasons, will become a free agent March 17, and the Steelers likely will seek in his replacement early in the draft.

“When you’re down there picking at the bottom of the first round, and you’re getting an impact player like Javonte Williams,” Jeremiah said, “to me, I think that would be a heck of a pick.”

Williams is a 5-foot-10, 220-pound runner and two-year starter for the Tar Heels, and he doesn’t turn 21 until April. As a junior, Williams rushed for 1,140 yards with 19 touchdowns and averaged 7.3 yards per carry. He also caught 25 passes for 305 yards and three touchdowns.

For his career, Williams rushed for 2,297 yards with 29 touchdowns. He caught 50 passes for 539 yards and four scores.

Jeremiah compares Williams to Cleveland Browns back Nick Chubb, a second-round pick in 2018 who has recorded back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.

“When you watch film, you see it,” Jeremiah said. “When you talk to the coaches at North Carolina — some have come from Georgia — and they say the similarities are eerie. They are all business. They are physical, great leaders, catch the ball out of the backfield and do a lot of different things.”

Harris, at 230 pounds, is a bigger back. And Clemson’s Travis Etienne is perhaps the fastest running back among early-round possibilities.

Jeremiah rated Williams as his No. 32 overall player, and expects that number to rise over the next six weeks.

“This kid gives you a little bit of everything,” Jeremiah said. “He’s 220 pounds, but he has big-time burst. … The more I keep digging on him, the kid’s wiring is off the charts.”