ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Javonte Williams is a 23-year-old in his third NFL season, a running back with 26 career games on his resume.
But in the fast-paced world of the NFL where the average career is 3.3 years and 30-somethings are often seen as locker-room sages, Williams already finds himself mentoring one the Denver Broncos' most promising rookies -- running back Jaleel McLaughlin.
"He's been there any time I have a question, about anything really,'' McLaughlin said. " ... All of the backs in our room, that's how they've been, Javonte, Samaje [Perine] -- everybody.''
Williams is 141 days older than McLaughlin, who turned 23 in September, but McLaughlin took a far more circuitous route to the league than Williams. McLaughlin played two years at Division II Notre Dame College in South Euclid, Ohio, followed by three seasons at Youngstown State before the Broncos signed him as an undrafted rookie after this year's draft.
"The bright lights of the NFL might get to him a little bit,'' Williams said. "But I feel like he's playing well, he's adjusted well.''
Williams arrived to the Broncos as a second-round pick (35th overall) in the 2021 draft after his junior season at North Carolina.
Heading into Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers at Empower Field at Mile High (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS), they are tied for the team lead in rushing (190 yards each). And even as McLaughlin's knack for the explosive play has the rookie playing slightly more with each passing week, Williams has said it's important for him to pay his own knowledge forward.
"I feel like that's just testament to the leaders I had when I got here, Melvin Gordon, Mike Boone, [Damarea] Crockett, who kind of took me under their wing and made sure I was good,'' Williams said. "I try to do the same thing with Jaleel.''
Coach Sean Payton has noted that McLaughlin was routinely in the Broncos' facility by 5 a.m. even in training camp and multiple team staff members would see McLaughlin running stairs at 6 a.m. before practices in August.
"Jaleel showed everybody early on he wanted to be here, was going to work to be here," safety Justin Simmons said.
Or as tackle Mike McGlinchey, a sixth-year veteran, put it: "Jaleel is going to have a hell of a career. I can speak for a lot of the veterans on our team, we've all been incredibly impressed with Jaleel.''
And in the collective mess of the Broncos' 1-5 start, McLaughlin has been one of the bright spots. He has five of the 13 runs of 10 or more yards by the team's running backs this season, is tied for second among the skill players in scoring with three total touchdowns and started for the first time in their Week 6 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
Payton has worried at times about certain matchups when the 187-pound McLaughlin is in the game, particularly in some pass protection situations. McLaughlin finished his college career as the NCAA's all-time leading rusher across all divisions -- 8,166 rushing yards on an astounding 1,250 carries -- so he wasn't often asked to diversify his duties much beyond dominating as a runner.
He finished five seasons of college football with just 66 receptions overall and blocking for other players wasn't really on the docket.
"I keep working on everything,'' McLaughlin said. "I know I want to be ready for whenever my number is called to be able to do whatever we need me to do. I don't want them to think they can't put me in there because I'm not ready to do something.''
The Broncos have been far more effective at times running the ball, even with the limited willingness by Payton to commit to it -- Broncos running backs had just 19 carries against the Chiefs combined and just 15 combined carries against the Jets, though they averaged 5.0 and 6.3 yards per carry in those two games.
According to ESPN's Stats and Information, the Broncos sport one of the best run block win rates in the league overall this season -- No. 3 at 74.2% -- so it is something their offensive line has been far more comfortable doing with a set of running backs who each offer a little something different.
Williams has called McLaughlin "more like the lightning guy'' to Perine's thunder and that he is "right there in the middle.'' But he said all of the backs would be ready for any and all work Payton wants to give them.
"[To run the ball more] that would be like the perfect game for me,'' Williams said. "I know there's a lot of stuff that goes into it ... [Just gotta] keep doing our job and hopefully the ball comes to us more.''