CINCINNATI — With the NFL Draft this week, players are gearing up for a moment they’ve dreamt of their entire lives. But it’s not been an easy road for former Ohio State running back Miyan Williams, who is rehabbing from a knee injury but still hopeful to hear his name called this weekend.
What You Need To Know
- Miyan Williams rushed for more than 1,500 yards at Ohio State
- The running back missed the second half of his senior season due to a knee injury
- Williams is rehabbing his knee in hopes of hearing his name called during the NFL Draft
- He said he's stayed positive throughout his injury and hopes his hard work pays off
Miyan Williams was a force to be reckoned with as a Buckeye. But a knee injury cut his senior year short, making the decision to declare for the NFL draft even more difficult.
“It took a lot," Williams said. "I think it took like what, a couple weeks? Because I was going back and forth a lot.”
Now the running back is spending all his free time preparing for his big moment.
“Getting stronger, just ready to run," he said.
That’s the hardest part for the running back: not being able to run at the moment. He had knee surgery in January and is still recovering.
“I just stay focused, my mental stays good and just really focus in on my knee,” Williams said. “Because if I think about everything else then I start doubting myself and I’m not the type of person that ever doubts myself. It’s just get your knee right, whichever team picks you, just go down there and just work.”
While he wasn’t able to participate in an open practice with the Cincinnati Bengals last week, his response when asked what an NFL team would get out of him shows his confidence.
“I’m going to put it in the most simplest form," he said at the Bengals practice. "Just straight dawg. That’s all I’m going to say.”
And that’s easy to see in the weight room.
“You’re either going to eat or be eaten," he said. "It’s just the mindset I got right now. My mindset every time I’m on the field is me versus everybody else, I’m taking me every time.”
You can also find Williams in the boxing gym.
“To finally be able to do, be moving around, doing footwork like that, it feels great, man," Williams said. "It feels great, just one step closer to running.”
Boxing is just one more way Williams is working to improve his game.
“It’d a lot of conditioning and just staying in shape," he said. "And then footwork too that you work on, swinging your arm fast, working on stiff arming, it helped me!”
Whatever Williams is working on this off season, he takes pride in his perspective through his most difficult injury to date.
“I haven’t really just been down," he said. "I haven’t felt like I failed or anything. Some people who go through injuries they feel like they can’t ever play football again, but I’ve never had that mindset because my mindset is everything happens for a reason.”
He’s taking that mental toughness into a day he’s envisioned for many years.
“My vision is just me just sitting here watching the TV with my family and my phone right here and I hear a ring, my heart just sinks, like ah here it goes," he said. "I answer it, then they said I made the team. I’ll probably shed a couple of tears. I won’t be crying for long though. I’ll just be happy and I’ll just be so ready to just go.”