Kyren Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Rams (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
The 24-year-old Kyren Williams is one of the top players on a stacked Los Angeles Rams roster.
The fourth-year running back is a former Pro Bowler and All-Pro selection and has already accomplished plenty in his short time in the league. Williams posted 1,144 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 5.0 yards per carry during the 2023 season and followed that up with another efficient campaign in 2024, rushing for a career-high 1,299 yards with 14 touchdowns.
Hungry for Explosive Plays
Williams has made such a mark in his short time in the league that he was named the 78th-best player in the NFL entering the 2024 season. Despite all of those accolades, he’s still aiming to be better.
“Everything,” says Williams in a one-on-one interview with RG when asked where he wants to improve. “I don’t feel like I’ve touched my peak yet. I’ve gotten to where I wanted to be, but I’m determined to make this my best season.”
The former fifth-round pick specifically mentions creating more “explosive” runs. His longest run last season was for only 30 yards.
“Just trying to make more explosive runs, be able to create long runs and just create more opportunities for my guys around me to be successful,” Williams details. “However that looks, whether that’s pass blocking, catching the ball, breaking long runs, converting first downs, do everything I can to make sure that I’m the best I can be consistently this year.”
Although Williams actually had a better year in terms of rushing yards and touchdowns during the 2024 season compared to his 2023 campaign, he missed out on both a Pro Bowl and an All-Pro bid. The 5-foot-9 running back says there wasn’t anything different that he did in 2024 compared to his 2023 Pro Bowl/All-Pro season, but says he’s determined to make it back to that level.
“No, I just think not a lot of things added up to me to be successful like what happened in 2023 and you just have to continue working,” says Williams. “I don’t think anything differently played a part. I was a Pro Bowler and I wasn’t in 2024. It wasn’t my time, just got to get back to the drawing board and figure out how I can get back to where I was.”
Competition Heats Up
The 2025 season is a big one for Williams because he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract. The Rams aren’t known for extending their drafted running backs and it’s worth mentioning that Blake Corum and Jarquez Hunter are two backs who have been drafted over the past couple of years.
With that being said, Williams is one of the best running backs in the league and he’s clearly the No. 1 back in Los Angeles. At 24 years old, he’s the veteran back in the room and he’s ready to be a mentor for the younger backs.
“I’m excited,” says Williams of mentoring Corum and Hunter.
“I’ve been in the league since I was 21 years old. I’m an observer, I’m going to sit back, watch before I do anything. Being able to be surrounded by the type of vets that I was surrounded by earlier in my career, it makes it easier. It makes it exciting to be a young leader, I can take these guys underneath my wings and show them the way.”
Mentorship Matters
Corum was a third-round draft pick last season and ran for 207 rushing yards in his rookie season. He was a unanimous All-American selection in college with the Michigan Wolverines. Meanwhile, Hunter was selected with a fourth-round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft over the weekend and ran for over 1,200 yards with the Auburn Tigers last season.
Although one could view Corum and Hunter as competition for his job, Williams is entering with a positive frame of mind and wants to teach the young bucks as they continue to grow in their NFL careers.
Williams—who began offseason team activities last week with his veteran teammates—says he has yet to speak to Hunter, but is looking forward to working with him and the five other Rams draft picks.
“I haven’t talked to him,” says Williams of talking to Hunter. “But I’m always excited for new teammates, new people to go work with, people to grind with and compete with. I’m excited for when those guys do come and get to work with them.”
DJ Siddiqi is a sports reporter who focuses on football, basketball and pro wrestling. He has covered some of the biggest sporting events, including the NBA Finals and Wrestlemania and often interviews high-profile athletes on a weekly basis. Siddiqi has interviewed the likes of Dan Marino, Emmitt Smith, Shaquille O'Neal, Tony Hawk and Giannis Antetokounmpo. His previous experience includes working as a lead NBA writer at CBS Sports and 247 Sports in addition to working as a beat reporter covering the NFL and the Denver Broncos at Bleacher Report. Follow Siddiqi for exclusive one-on-one interviews and analysis on key topics in sports
