[The Franchise]

Fourth Round:

#135 - Joshua Williams, CB, Fayetteville State
#12 rated CB - #1 in your hearts
#93 in the Top 300 list.

BACKGROUND: Joshua Williams, who has a sister, was raised in basketball-crazed Fayetteville, N.C., but his focus growing up was football and track. His father (George) has a track background and coached him throughout his childhood. Williams attended Jack Britt High, where he played wide receiver the first three years of high school. Williams transitioned to cornerback as a senior (first time he played the position) and posted 31 tackles in 2016, adding a pair of touchdown catches on offense. He also lettered in track at Jack Britt and set the school record of 10.65 in the 100 meters. He also has impressive personal bests of 22.54 in the 200, 14.96 in the 110-meter hurdles, 45.04 in the 300-meter hurdles and 1:19.54 in the 400-meters. He was named the 2017 Conference Athlete of the Year as a senior.

A no-star recruit out of high school, Williams attended Palmetto Preparatory Academy in Columbia, S.C., for the 2017 season (played free safety) to improve his grades and recruiting profile. After one year at the prep level, he received near double-digit offers from Division II programs like Fayetteville State, Fort Valley State, Henderson State and Shorter University. He committed to his hometown Fayetteville State, which is also the alma mater of his mother (Angela), who died in 2000 when Joshua was 6 months old. Williams accepted his invitation to the 2022 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Tall, long athlete with the arm length to connect early in press … stays patient in his stance with the agile footwork and burst to shadow different types of route runners … fluid lower body makes for controlled transitions … his long-striding acceleration helps him regain position in coverage … squeezes and spies routes underneath … high school wide receiver with focused tracking and judgment skills when the ball is in the air … has a knack for outleaping wideouts and attacking at the highest point … won’t back down against the run and strikes through his target as a tackler … rangy in run support and uses his length to work off blocks … brings a coachable attitude with him to the NFL. [237]

WEAKNESSES: Lanky and lacks ideal muscle … tends to rely on athleticism over textbook technique … had a few whiffs when jamming on tape … needs to better use the sideline as his friend … his route recognition steadily improved on tape, but he can become better-schooled with his eye discipline … can be late finding the football after his back is turned to the quarterback … inconsistent run defender because of his overpursuit and spotty open-field tackling … faces a significant uptick in competition compared with the Division II talent he faced in college … lack of ideal size leads to durability concerns.

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Fayetteville State, Williams was an outside cornerback in defensive coordinator Dominic Anderson’s scheme, playing both man and zone coverages. With only one season of cornerback experience in high school and two years starting at the Division II level, physical and savvy NFL receivers will be a substantial step up from what he has faced. Williams has the fluidity and length to be disruptive in press and downfield at the catch point. As a former wide receiver, he has ball skills and an instinctive feel for route development, but he is late to find the football once his back is turned and NFL play callers will feed his risk-taking
appetite. Overall, Williams might require a redshirt year as he continues to hone his technique, but his size, sudden footwork and recovery speed are the foundation traits of a future NFL starter. He is an intriguing short-term project for an NFL staff.

GRADE: 3rd Round (No. 93 overall)