Name: James Williams

School: Miami

Year: Junior

Position: Safety/OLB

Measurables: 6’5”, 215 lbs. (University of Miami Website)

Combine: 40-yd: 4.65, 10-yd: 1.59, Vertical: 30", Broad: 9'9"

Stats:

Courtesy of Sports-Reference.com

General Info:

A composite 5-star prospect (per 247 Sports), James Williams had no shortage of suitors coming out of high school (where he was coached by former NFL Cornerback Patrick Surtain Sr.). 247 Sports also considered Williams the top Safety, 4th Floridian, and 14th overall national prospect in the 2021 recruiting class. The Fort Lauderdale native had offers from the crème de la crème of college football, turning down schools like Georgia, Alabama, LSU, Oregon, and Michigan (just to name a few) in order to stay in the Miami area. Williams’ high school, National Heritage in Plantation, Florida, is a private high school that has sent quite a bit of talent to the NFL, including Brian Burns, T.J. Slaton, and Patrick Surtain Jr.

As a true freshman, Williams saw significant playtime. He appeared in 10 of the team’s 12 games, starting seven of them. Williams was more than up to the challenge—despite his youth, he recorded 31 tackles and led Miami with two interceptions. A stellar performance against the Pittsburgh Panthers in October won Williams an ACC Defensive Back of the Week award and (again, despite being a true freshman!) was an All-ACC Honorable Mention at the end of the season.

Williams’ sophomore season was just as impressive as his first. In 10 starts (11 total games played), Williams upped his tackle numbers significantly (from 31 to 58 total tackles, 38 of which were solo) and remained a steady pass defender. Despite his strong season, Williams did not receive as many decorations as he did the year prior, though fellow Miami Safety Kamren Kinchens was named a First Team All-ACC player.

The upward trajectory continued for Williams in 2023, his third season of college football. Though he was once again neglected in award races, he put up stellar numbers as one of the top players on the Hurricanes’ defense. Starting all 12 of Miami’s regular season games, Williams managed 73 tackles (2nd on the team—48 solo tackles), an interception, five pass break-ups, and a pair of forced fumbles. There were occasional stretches of dominance from Williams, such as a two-game period in which he recorded 18 tackles, or a 13 tackle performance against Virginia. The strong season was enough for Williams to declare for the 2024 NFL Draft, forgoing his final season of NCAA eligibility.

Williams is expected to be invited to the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, though that event has yet to occur at the time of writing. Fortunately, there is still some post-season production to look at with Williams, as he participated in the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Anticipating a potential move to Outside Linebacker, Williams bulked up at the Senior Bowl, weighing in at 230 pounds (after reportedly playing ~220 lbs. his final season at Miami). The Miami prospect performed well during the game itself, managing five tackles (one for a loss), but it was his willingness to work at OLB and his interviews that reportedly impressed teams the most. Jim Nagy, Senior Bowl Executive Director, publicly commented that teams had commented to him about Williams’ attitude and performance, which bodes well for his chance to be a high pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Positional Skills:

Strengths

Versatility—a classic “too-big” Safety that is expected to move to OLB in the pros. Like many safeties of that breed, there will be a learning curve, but the combination of Safety coverage ability with a Linebacker’s build is always appealing. He’s not a tweener, either—at 6’5”, 230 lbs, he has a very similar build to former All-Pro De’vondre Campbell, who he could well be replacing.

Improved every year at Miami. There was no plateau in his production, and there is no reason why that growth can’t continue as an NFL player.

His RAS is going to be high regardless of whether he is measured as a Safety or a LB. It’s not just the size with Williams—he is expected to be an elite tester at the Combine, particularly in drills that measure explosiveness and burst.

Strong tackler. Williams has well developed form and usually wraps-up well, but is also very willing to pop someone if he sees the opportunity.

Fluid mover who has the physical ability to very quickly reposition himself if he senses he needs to.

Weaknesses

There is always some uncertainty when a prospect is expected to change positions in the pros. The team that drafts Williams is likely counting on him to be able to make that adjustment effectively, which is simply impossible to predict.

Despite his overall athleticism, Williams is not especially fast, which caused some issues in Miami. Moving to LB could cover that particular limitation up a bit, where he does not have to worry as much about WRs blowing by him.

Zone coverage has been a bugaboo for Williams. He has a habit of floating, giving too much space to pass-catchers in his domain and occasionally winding up deeper than he should be. There has been a tendency to get overly physical at times as well, compensating for his struggles with discipline and technique with grabbiness that will get him penalized at times. He can be a little slow to react, too.

Fit with the Packers:

With Green Bay expected to transition to a 4-3 defense under new Coordinator Jeff Halfley, there may be room for a rookie LB to see real snaps. While Quay Walker and Isaiah McDuffie are returning, De’Vondre Campbell is less certain to be on the roster next year, which would open significant playtime at LB. Williams could find a role as Green Bay’s third or fourth Linebacker, spelling starters and seeing the field in specific packages as he adjusts to his new position. He could also provide value on Special Teams early in his career. Williams is not entirely dissimilar to former Packer draft pick Tariq Carpenter, a big, athletic college safety who moved to OLB as a pro. Williams is a much more highly regarded prospect—there is a long track record of improving play, and he is less of a tweener—and could be well worth a look in the 2nd or 3rd round for a Packers team that could quietly use some depth at Linebacker. The Miami product will likely be at his best in a role that allows him to play downhill and instinctively, without demanding too much processing. There are shades of Darnell Savage in his game.

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