SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch couldn't shake five little words that kept popping into his head whenever Utah running back Joe Williams was mentioned before the NFL draft.
"He quit on his team," Lynch kept thinking. Those words ran counter to one of the guiding principles Lynch has been trying to instill in the 49ers' draft philosophy. No. 1 on the list of Lynch's requirements of a 49ers player's "spirit" was football passion. Anyone who chooses to walk away from the game, as Williams did in September of last season, was essentially discarded from consideration by Lynch.
"The talent was undeniable, but when you hear 'quit the team,' it was like 'no, not interested,'" Lynch said.
And yet, early on the draft's final day, Lynch and the 49ers not only used the 121st pick on Williams, but traded up 22 spots in the fourth round to do it.
So, how did Williams go from off the board to one of the 49ers' most intriguing additions? It started with a little extra film work from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who knows a thing or two about finding mid- to late-round running backs and turning them into stars.
On what Shanahan called a "random, boring day" of watching prospects, he decided to put Williams' tape back on. Shanahan couldn't ignore what he saw, went back to Lynch and urged him to begin doing the proper diligence on Williams.
According to Lynch, that diligence was extensive. Running backs coach Bobby Turner talked to Williams on the phone nearly every day. Lynch called Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, who was the first to open Lynch's eyes to the reality of why Williams walked away from football.
"Kyle said, 'Let’s be very clear, he did not quit the team,'" Lynch said. "He physically and mentally got tired and broke down and he asked for advice on what they should do. He stepped away. They had some injuries. Kyle went back to him and said, 'Hey, we’d love for you to come back, but I first have to ask your teammates.' They welcomed him back with open arms."
As the final step, Lynch needed to hear from Williams himself. On the final day of the draft, Lynch's first task was to call Williams and hear his story. Williams told Lynch all he'd been through and, after the 49ers drafted him, he relayed his story to the media.
Williams attended Fork Union Military Academy, but when he went to the University of Connecticut, he lost the structure that had kept him out of trouble. After using a teammate's credit card, Williams was kicked off the team. He eventually landed at Utah, but never quite felt comfortable because of the lingering emotional effects of his 7-year old sister Kylee's death from a heart problem in 2006. Kylee had died in Williams' arms after falling out of her bed one night.
"The guilt and shame that I had put upon myself, because I didn’t act quickly enough for, you know, with my parents or to call 911," Williams said. "I always thought that it was my fault. Going throughout high school and college I was getting counseling, but I always tried to manipulate the system, because it was hard for me to feel [as] an adolescent at the time, that when your baby sister died it wasn’t your fault when you weren’t there. So, I really didn’t want to eat and take their advice and mourn the way I needed to."
Even a full decade later, the combination of mental fatigue in dealing with her loss and physical fatigue from playing football was too much for him to overcome. Williams sat down with his wife and Whittingham and decided it would be best to get a breather from the game to try to get to a better place. He visited with a therapist to help gain perspective, finally gathered the courage to visit his sister's grave, and got a tattoo on his left arm reading "My sister's keeper" to honor her memory.
"I was just doing everything necessary to just finally come to that peace with her death," Williams said.
As Utah's season went on without him, a flurry of injuries to running backs led Whittingham to ask Williams to return. Revitalized from his time away, Williams saw an opportunity to not only return to the game, but to make his sister proud. Over the final seven games of the season, Williams averaged 190 rushing yards a game, 7.1 yards per carry and scored 10 touchdowns.
"And above all that, I finally forgave myself," Williams said. "That was the biggest thing. And when I came back and you know -- and you guys will see the tape -- I’m a completely different man."
When Shanahan turned on the tape, he noticed Williams' transformation right away. The same coach who had success with mid-round picks like Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman in Atlanta and undrafted free agent Arian Foster in Houston recognized Williams had the ability to be the next great running back discovery.
Williams' speed -- he ran the 40 in 4.41 seconds at the combine -- jumped off the tape, but so, too, did his ability to make quick, decisive cuts.
"His ability to run the ball is as good as anybody’s," Shanahan said. "I mean, as far as speed, cutting ability, running through tackles, his overall balance. When you see that overall ability, it doesn’t guarantee anything, but it means he has the ability to make all the cuts, the abilities to be a very good back in this league. Now he has to come do it and be consistent. After talking with him, his coaches, a lot of people who’ve known him, some of the things he’s gone through, we feel very good about the guy. We know there’s things we do need to help him with, but I think he can have a very bright future for us and for himself in the NFL."
Shanahan was convinced, but Lynch needed to hear it for himself. In that final conversation, Williams laid out his story, making it clear to his future boss that his love of football should no longer be in doubt.
"I had to lay it out on the line that football is what I drink and breathe," Williams said. "That’s what I wake up for in the morning and that’s how I want to provide for my family. They knew that. At first, they wanted to understand why I could walk away from football, but after telling them my journey of how I came to be, I felt as though they were empathetic about it and they understood that sometimes you have to put something you love to do on hold to do what’s right."
When Lynch hung up the phone, not only was he on board with drafting Williams, but also with doing whatever was necessary to get him. Williams will have to work his way up the depth chart, but there's a real possibility he will play a prominent role sooner than later.
"It’s a wonderful story and it turned from, 'I have no interest,' because my perception was anyone who quits a team I don’t want,'" Lynch said. "And then I learned about the kid and I got a great deal of respect for how far he’s come."