FAYETTEVILLE — Damian Williams, the former Springdale High School football star, is back home in Arkansas this week, visiting with family and friends and waiting to find out where he’ll be picked in the NFL Draft.
There’s a chance Williams, a receiver who began his college career at Arkansas and finished it at Southern California, could hear his name called tonight when the draft’s first round is held.
More likely, Williams will have to wait until Friday night to be picked during the draft’s second or third rounds.
Williams is projected as a second-round pick in most mock drafts. He is rated among the top 10 receivers on virtually every draft list, and the Denver Post ranks him as the No. 77 overall best player at any position.
“There’s no doubt Damian is a first-round talent, but the draft can be hard to predict,” said Nick Sanchez, an agent at the Athletes First agency which represents Williams. “There may be a run on receivers early, or teams may not start picking them until later in the first round. So you have to wait and see how it develops.”
Since Williams ended last season by catching 12 passes for 189 yards in USC’s Emerald Bowl victory over Boston College, he’s spent much of his time at the Velocity Sports Gym in Irvine, Calif., where he caught passes from former Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, among others.
“I think Damian’s done a phenomenal job of preparing for the draft,” Sanchez said. “That’s a testament to the kind of player and person he is.”
In two seasons at USC, Williams had 128 catches for 1,879 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also excelled as a punt returner, averaging 14.7 yards last season on 44 attempts and scoring 2 touchdowns.
As a freshman at Arkansas, Williams had 19 catches for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Williams, who decided to bypass his fifth-year senior eligibility with the Trojans, already has earned a sociology degree from USC, which he completed in the fall semester.
“You can’t beat him as a person. I’d never bet against that guy,” an NFL scout told the Green Bay (Wis.) Press-Gazette. “He’s very directed, self-motivated.
“Good skills, not great skills, has a problem with press coverage. Great vision as a run-after-the-catch guy.”
Williams’ punt returning ability increases his draft stock.
“When he runs as a punt returner, he’s awesome; as a guy catching the ball and running, awesome,” another scout told the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “He finds ways to advance the ball and make yards after the catch.
“He’s an awesome kid, great family, graduated, good leader, captain of the team. A lot of the intangibles.”
During his redshirt sophomore season at USC in 2008, Williams’ quarterback was Mark Sanchez - who is Nick Sanchez’ younger brother and started for the New York Jets as a rookie last season, reaching the AFC Championship Game.
“He’s in the film room late, he’s asking questions, and it’s paying off,” Mark Sanchez told reporters in regards to Williams. “USC lucked out having him come here.”
Williams, 6-1, 197 pounds, performed well at the NFL scouting combine, where he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.5 seconds, bench-pressed 225 pounds 19 times and had a 38-inch vertical jump. He also looked sharp at USC’s pro day, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“He was quick out of his breaks and was really crisp in his routes,” a scout told the Los Angeles Times. “He looked explosive even though he’s not an overly fast guy.”
According to draft Internet sites, Williams has had recent visits or private workouts with St. Louis, Atlanta, and Denver.
At the scouting combine, Williams told reporters he’s a student of the game and likes to learn from current NFL receivers, including Anquan Boldin, who has a career average of 5.3 yards after the catch, a stat commonly known as YAC.
“We call him the YAC master, and that’s kind of what I was at our school, the YAC-master,” Williams said. “Just catch the ball and do what you do.”
Williams also was asked at the combine about his punt returning success.
“I don’t like to get tackled,” he said.
When Williams announced in January he was entering the draft, he said playing in the NFL had been his dream for as long as he could remember.
“I know Damian’s excited and anxious for the draft,” Nick Sanchez said. “He’s ready to get with a team and begin his pro career.”
Sports, Pages 19 on 04/22/2010