INDIANAPOLIS — Miyan Williams ran the ball for Ohio State football until his body would not let him run anymore.
The 5-9, 216-pound back who goes by the nickname “Chop” stood tall for his NFL combine interview Friday. He will not participate in workouts, though, and may not be fully cleared until training camp. The ailment that ended his Buckeye career still lingers.
Williams revealed he had suffered from the joint disorder Osteochondritis dissecans in his right knee since 2017. Eventually, he could literally no longer play through the pain. He shut his season down last October.
“I literally played until I couldn’t,” Williams said. “My knee kept locking up and I just wasn’t able to run. So I went to see the doctor and he said, man, it’s that time.”
Williams underwent surgery to replace cartilage in the knee on Jan. 2. He shed his brace about three weeks ago. Doctors told him he was healing faster than expected. He attended the combine to meet with teams and, obviously, go through the customary medical examinations.
Especially with so many questions about his health, Williams faces an uphill battle to be selected in any of the seven rounds of April’s draft. His training camp invite will likely come as an undrafted free agent.
Despite that Williams said he did not consider returning to OSU for a fifth season or transferring to finish his career elsewhere.
“I felt like I was just finished with college,” Williams said. “It was a great four years at Ohio State. I felt like it was just time.”
Williams missed eight regular-season games over his final two years with various injuries. Yet he also enjoyed some big moments. In 2022, his 6.45 yards per carry and 14 touchdowns ranked third among all Big Ten running backs.
With his knee now repaired, he hopes he can take his physical style onto an NFL roster.
