NFL Draft 2015: Saints select P.J. Williams with 78th pick

After adding cornerback Brandon Browner this offseason, it gave the New Orleans Saints a bit of a cushion in the secondary. The Black and Gold were able to hold off on drafting one too early, but with the 78th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, they selected Florida State CB P.J. Williams.

A dangerous secondary is brewing down on the bayou, and taking the former Seminole just adds to the depth they already have in the Big Easy. So what does P.J. Williams bring to the table for the New Orleans Saints?

At 6’0, 194 pounds, he has has good height and weight, along with reasonable speed. He plays physical, able to re-route wide receivers with excellent press coverage skills.

P.J. Williams plays with great change of direction and ball skills and also possesses the ability to make the open field tackle. He could work on his zone coverage and may have to clean up his physical game for NFL league rules, but this is a guy that could have easily gone in the second round.

From Seminoles.com:

"2014: Widely regarded as one of the top cover corners in the country during the 2014 season…semifinalist for the Thorpe Award and a First Team All-ACC selection…started all 13 games he played in…missed The Citadel game with a minor injury…of his 74 tackles, 52 were of the solo variety…6.5 tackles for loss are testament to his run support work…ranked second on the team with 10 pass break-ups…playmaker with a knack for making the big play on the biggest stages…had a game-high and career-high 14 tackles, including a half-tackle for loss, against Oregon in the Rose Bowl…that performance came after he posted career-highs with nine tackles and two tackles for loss against Georgia Tech in the ACC Championship Game…also logged seven solo tackles at Louisville…forced and recovered a fumble in the fourth quarter of the season-opener vs. Oklahoma State…was named Defensive MVP of the 2013 BCS National Championship Game at the Rose Bowl…member of the Bednarik and Nagurski Award Watch Lists.2013: Starting cornerback blossomed into one of ACC’s best defensive backs in his second season…captured Defensive MVP honors in BCS National Championship Game versus Auburn after making a career-high seven tackles, including a half-tackle for loss and interception on consecutive plays at the start of the fourth quarter when the Seminoles trailed 21-13…his pick of Tigers’ quarterback Nick Marshall provided a spark and led to an FSU touchdown…missed first game of the season, but played in 13 contests, while starting final 11…led Florida State with seven pass break-ups and total passes defended (10) – a mark that placed him 14th in the conference…ranked 10th on Noles with 35 tackles and tied for second with three interceptions…set a then-career high with five tackles – all solo – at Florida…recorded his first career interception and tied a career high with four tackles at Boston College…had a pass breakup and a tackle against Bethune-Cookman…posted three tackles at Clemson…made two tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up another against Miami…had two tackles, 1.0 TFL and a pass break-up against Idaho…key member of nation’s No. 1-ranked pass defense (156.6 ypg) and third-ranked total defense (281.4 ypg)…FSU also led the nation in interceptions (26) and scoring defense (12.1 ppg)."

Keenan Lewis and Brandon Browner have the starting spots on lock, but some competition with Kyle Wilson, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Delvin Breaux and more make for a big training camp for Williams. With a great skill set, he could come in and take over that nickel spot.

So the P.J. Williams pick checks another need off of the New Orleans Saints’ draft list. A defensive end, defensive tackle, guard and wide receiver could be next on Saturday.

Saints picks through three rounds:

1 (13): Andrus Peat, OT, Stanford
1 (31): Stephone Anthony, ILB, Clemson
2 (44): Hau’oli Kikaha, OLB, Washington
3 (75): Garrett Grayson, QB, Colorado State
3 (78): P.J. Williams, CB, Florida State

Next: Saints 2015 Schedule

More from Who Dat Dish

Home/Saints News