I've got Dane Brugler's draft guide....AMA

[The Franchise]

Originally Posted by RunKC

Sam Williams? Interested what rd he projects him to

17. SAM WILLIAMS | Ole Miss 6035 | 261 lbs. | rSR. Montgomery, Ala. (Lee) 3/31/1999 (age 23.08) #7

BACKGROUND: Samuel “Sam” Williams was born in Birmingham into a rough family situation. Along with his siblings, he was removed from his birth mother’s custody at age 6 and relocated to Verbena, Ala., to live with his grandmother and later with his aunt (Latoya Kizito) and her family. Williams originally attended Marbury High in Deatsville, where he emerged as a star on the basketball court, making varsity as a freshman. As a junior, he averaged 15.1 points and 10.5 rebounds per game in 2015, earning All-State honors. After an off-campus incident involving a knife, Williams was expelled from Marbury the summer after his junior year. He transferred to Robert E. Lee High in Montgomery for his senior year and moved in with Tiffani Cain (the mother of one of his friends at Marbury), who eventually became Williams’ legal guardian (he refers to her as “mom”). With very little football experience, he joined the football team at Lee where he was a 215-pound linebacker in 2016 and teammates with WR Henry Ruggs III.

A no-star recruit out of high school, Williams received attention from several high-profile college programs, but he had less than a year of football experience and didn’t have the grades to qualify. He signed with Northeast Mississippi Community College in Booneville, where he continued learning the game as a freshman, posting 53 tackles, 11.0 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 2017. Williams was named a junior college All-American as a sophomore with 75 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, and four forced fumbles in 2018. A four-star recruit, he was the No. 3 defensive end and the No. 8 juco recruit overall. Williams considered offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida State, LSU, Texas A&M and others before committing to Ole Miss. He was suspended from the program in July 2020 after he was arrested on felony charge of sexual battery. The chargers were later dropped, and Williams returned to the team in September 2020. He has a one-year old son (Sam Jr.). Williams graduated with his degree in multidisciplinary studies (May 2021). He accepted his invitation to the 2022 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl and was a late call-up to the 2022 Senior Bowl.

STRENGTHS: Well-built with adequate length and muscle tone ... explosive out of his stance ... hard-charger upfield with above-average rush acceleration to skim the corner ... uses forward flexibility and raw power to create knock-back with his violent hands and stab moves ... creates inside burst with his plant-and-go cuts ... works well laterally and is able to bounce off blocks while maintaining his play radar ... his revved-up motor expands his range to chase down plays outside the numbers ...has some experience dropping into space ... has gritty play personality and doesn’t make thing easy on blockers ... had the productive senior year that NFL teams were hoping to see from him.

WEAKNESSES: Plays tall with inconsistent balance at contact and in space ... his poor block leverage leaves him controlled on the edges ... his run-defending instincts are still in the development phase ... shows hints of stiffness at the top of his rush ... needs to do a better job setting up his rush and formulating a plan ... tape is riddled with undisciplined mistakes, including nine penalties as a senior (illegal use of hands, offsides, facemask, multiple roughing the passers, etc.) ... inconsistent finisher who leaves tackle/sack production on the field ... his off-field will require extensive vetting after he was suspended from the Ole Miss program (July 2020)
following an arrest on felony sexual battery (chargers were later dropped).

SUMMARY: A three-year starter at Ole Miss, Williams was a hybrid boundary end (two and three point) in defensive coordinator Chris Partridge’s 3-3-5 base scheme, lining primarily in the 4i-technique. He turned his flashes into more consistent production as a senior, breaking the single-season school record with 12.5 sacks, which ranked top-five in the FBS in 2021. Although he needs better setup and countering skills mid-rush, Williams creates a surge with his hard-charging athleticism and violent hands. In the run game, he has a reliable motor but struggles to control the point because of a faulty anchor and tall pads. Overall, Williams must improve his discipline to be a more consistent edge-setter and rusher, but he has the upfield acceleration and attacking mentality to affect the game as a quarterback hunter.
He is an exciting pass rush prospect in subpackages with potential to be more.

GRADE: 3rd Round (No. 91 overall)