Week 3 Rookie Report: Cooper explodes and former FSU stars make big impact for Bills

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Just a week after Jameis Winston had the best game of his young career, two of his former Florida State teammates played key roles in a big win for their current team. The highest-drafted receiver in the 2015 class showed why he was so highly regarded, while a first-year linebacker got a shot to play significant snaps in a win. Chris Tripodi breaks down Week 3’s impact rookies, all of whom helped their teams to victory. 

Karlos Williams (RB-Buf)

Hyped by some as a potential first-round pick heading into his senior year thanks to elite size (6-0, 230) and speed (4.45), Karlos Williams fell to the middle of the fifth round before the Buffalo Bills snatched him up. A former safety at Florida State, Williams moved to running back before his junior season but found himself leapfrogged on the depth chart by Dalvin Cook towards the end of his final year. Williams is making teams pay for passing on him so far in his rookie season, as his 12-carry, 110-yard performance Sunday has him up to 186 rushing yards in three games on just 24 carries, and he’s scored a touchdown in each contest.

Williams didn’t touch the ball until Buffalo’s fourth possession Sunday, but made a quick impact with an 18-yard run. On a toss left, Williams patiently followed his blockers before showing a nice burst through the opening on the outside to get the first down. On the next play, he showed his ability to find the cutback lane nicely on a five-yard run. Williams stayed tight to his linemen waiting for their blocks, drawing the linebacker towards him before quickly cutting into the vacated hole for five yards. The rookie then busted a 12-yard run up the middle by running through multiple arm tackles around the line of scrimmage.

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