New England Patriots Possible Target in the 2015 NFL Draft – P.J. Williams, CB Florida State
As the 2015 NFL Draft draws closer we’ll profile some of the players that may be on the Patriots radar. Some of these players have already been linked to New England as possible targets others, we feel would be a great fit.
Check out our earlier 2015 NFL Draft profiles on PatsFans.com:
DE/OLB Nate Orchard from Utah
WR Tyrell Williams from Western Oregon
DT Jordan Phillips from Oklahoma
DT Carl Davis from Iowa
RB David Johnson from Northern Iowa
CB Steven Nelson from Oregon State
OLB Zack Hodges from Harvard
CB Ronald Darby from FSU
WR Devin Funchess from Michigan
OG A.J. Cann from South Carolina
RB Mike Davis from South Carolina
ILB Benadrick McKinney from Mississippi State
OLB Hau’oli Kikaha from Washington
T Jeremiah Poutasi from Utah
OLB Kyle Emanuel from North Dakota State
RB Jay Ajayi from Boise State
WR Jamison Crowder from Duke
CB Kevin Johnson from Wake Forest
DT Eddie Goldman from Florida State
LB Shaq Thompson from Washington
OG Tre Jackson from Florida State
CB Marcus Peters from Washington
CB Eric Rowe from Utah
RB Jeremy Langford from Michigan State
WR Phillip Dorsett from Miami
OLB Max Valles from Virginia
TE Tyler Kroft from Rutgers
The Patriots have some holes to fill an in the secondary, most especially the cornerback position where they have depth but the starting duo is unknown. Both starting corners, Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner have left via free agency. Revis’ ability to cover on an island transformed the way the defense played and he had a major factor in their success in 2014. Browner had the size and physicality that the team has lacked in recent years.
It worked perfectly; Browner or Kyle Arrington would cover the opponent’s #1 threat with over the top safety help. Revis would shadow the #2 receiver alone. The Patriots have solid depth but lack anyone with neither the technical skills of Revis nor the size/physicality of Browner.
Currently the team has Malcolm Butler, Kyle Arrington, Logan Ryan, Alfonzo Dennard and Justin Green on the roster. During free agency, the team added Bradley Fletcher, Robert McClain and Chimdi Chekwa. Arrington is at his best inside in the slot, he is not nearly as effective when he moves outside.
They have hopes that a fresh start will ignite Fletcher and Butler can improve upon a stellar ending of 2014 into continued progression. If the season started today, it would probably be Fletcher and either Butler or Dennard at the other corner with Arrington in the slot. They’ll also look to the draft for improved depth and production.
P.J. Williams from Florida State is a versatile defensive back that can play corner or safety and is one of the top talents at the cornerback position in the draft. Williams was the National Championship Game Defensive MVP as a sophomore. He was a first-team All-ACC in his final season, although opponents were avoiding his side of the field more in 2014.
Williams has excellent length at 6’0, 196 and has the speed, physicality and agility to be a top corner in the NFL. He is excellent in run support with the ability to play both man and zone coverage. He also turned in an impressive performance at the NFL Combine with a vertical leap of 40 inches and a broad jump of 11 feet. Williams ran the 40 at FSU’s Pro Day and turned the very good time of 4.44.
Williams is very aggressive especially when the ball is in the air and has double digit passes defensed the past two seasons. For a taller corner he has a smooth backpedal and changes direction well. While very physical in the run game, he tends to go for the big hit too often rather than wrapping up. He can get a little grabby while mirroring a receiver down field which could lead to some holding penalties.
His draft stock seemingly took a big hit on April 3, when he was arrested for DUI. But the charges were later dropped when the dash cam video was not functioning properly in the police officer’s car and the accusations of him weaving in traffic could not be corroborated.
Pros:
- Ideal height length for the position in the NFL
- Good speed (4.44), athleticism and agility, can be effective in man or zone coverage
- Aggressive, good instincts and ball awareness
Cons:
- Needs to improve his strength a bit at the NFL level
- Sometimes late to turn when the ball is in the air
- Off field incidents, hit-and-run and DUI point to maturity issues
Where can the Patriots can get him?: Williams is a very good cornerback with versatility to play outside, inside or at safety. With the red flags that have gone up with some off-field issues, he may fall to the 2nd round which is where he’d be an excellent choice for the Patriots.
Williams is one of the top five prospects at the position in the draft and is very good at playing man, zone and the run. Aggressive, feisty and athletic, he can be a valuable pickup for the secondary. While he needs to improve his tackling by wrapping up more, he’s good at shedding blocks and making the big hit.
With the Patriots pipeline to FSU growing each year, there is no doubt that both FSU corners Williams and Ronald Darby were scouted closely as well as three or more offensive line prospects. If they feel his off-field incidents are something that can be worked thru at the next level, they’d have a good shot at landing Williams this weekend.
In his Draft Guide, Dane Brugler from CBS Sports says that Williams, “has the experience and skill-set to play press or off-man zone as a rookie and be an instant contributor, either inside or outside.”
Here is a highlight film of Williams at Florida State courtesy of Football Man 175:
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