Tag: Chris Williamson

Chris Williamson another Swiss Army Knife for Giants to work with

The New York Giants are going Swiss Army Knife heavy in 2020, and rookie seventh-round pick Chris Williamson fits that mold.

The New York Giants selected Minnesota defensive back Chris Williamson with the 247th selection in this year’s draft, a compensatory pick they were awarded by the league earlier this year for losing more free agents than they signed last year.

Williamson was not really high on many teams’ radars because he is another one of those “tweeners” that teams can’t pigeonhole into a specific position.

The Giants seem to love those type of players as they’ve drafted and signed a slew of them this offseason. They call them “Swiss Army Knives” because they can be used for multiple purposes.

“This is a guy who’s going to have some combination corner to safety,” Giants head coach Joe Judge said. “We call it the star position, that nickel position as well. He’ll bring some position flexibility in the defensive backfield. He’s got a good size and speed combination. We look for him to compete at multiple positions this year.”

The one thing Williamson will have to do first is make an impact on special teams. Both Judge, the former special teams coordinator for the New England Patriots, and general manager Dave Gettleman put a lot of stock in the “teams” as they are known. Every player they draft or sign that isn’t considered a starter at their given position has to be able cut it on “teams” or play multiple positions.

Versatility is the theme on this Giants’ roster and Williamson, although an afterthought by many NFL teams, fits that mold for the Giants.

“The one thing a lot of teams talked to me about is my versatility,” said Williamson. “I have the ability to play multiple positions in the back end. Even with the Giants, they kind of talked about me doing the same thing of being able to do those multiple positions. But every team I talked to kind of had that same idea for me. I’d be a guy who’d kind of be like a Swiss Army Knife and can do multiple things on the back end.”

Ah, there’s that term again. Swiss…Army…Knife. By admission, though, Williamson told reporters he really hadn’t played a lot of safety recently in college.

“I didn’t get to play a whole bunch of safety. But actually I had a spring ball, actually when I was at Florida, where I did nothing but strictly safety. So, I’ve actually had the opportunity throughout my college career to practice at each position,” he said.

That’s good enough for the Giants, who are working with another of this year’s draftees, Oregon guard Shane Lemieux, hoping to mold him into an NFL-level center.

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See it: Giants’ 2020 draft class introduces themselves to fans

Watch the New York Giants’ 2020 NFL Draft class introduce themselves to Big Blue Nation.

The 2020 NFL Draft has officially come and gone, and the New York Giants left with 10 brand new players in two — from first-round offensive tackle Andrew Thomas to Mr. Irrelevant, linebacker Tae Crowder.

As each of those players were drafted and put on their brand new Giants cap, they also recorded a video introducing themselves to Big Blue fans across the country.

On Sunday, the Giants compiled those clips and released the video on their various social media outlets.

Check it out:

As a refresher, here’s how the Giants’ draft class breaks down:

  • Round 1, pick 4: Andrew Thomas, OL, Georgia
  • Round 2, pick 36: Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama
  • Round 3, pick 99: Matt Peart, OT, Connecticut
  • Round 4, pick 110: Darnay Holmes, CB, UCLA
  • Round 5, pick 150: Shane Lemieux, G, Oregon
  • Round 6, pick 183: Cameron Brown, LB, Penn State
  • Round 7, pick 218: Carter Coughlin, LB, Minnesota
  • Round 7, pick 238: T.J. Brunson, ILB, South Carolina
  • Round 7, pick 247: Chris Williamson, CB, Minnesota
  • Round 7, pick 255: Tae Crowder, LB, Georgia

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2020 Giants draft class: Meet all 10 incoming rookies

Meet the New York Giants’ 2020 NFL Draft class and find out what GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge had to say about each.

The 2020 NFL Draft has now officially come and gone, and for the New York Giants, they have 10 new players in tow, having hung on to each and every one of their picks.

There was a clear theme in the Giants’ approach, who selected only players along the offensive line, in the secondary and at linebacker.

Here’s a quick look at the 10 newest Giants:

Getty Images/Getty Images

OT Andrew Thomas

Round 1, pick No. 4 overall

“Andrew certainly has a hell of a pedigree, a three-year starter in the Southeast Conference. He’s played against some real quality defensive ends during his college career. He has played big time ball in front of a lot of people,” general manager Dave Gettleman said of Thomas. “We spent a lot of time with him off the field as well, numerous conversations. We spoke to him in Indianapolis and we just feel he is ready to make this jump. He’s young, like all these guys are. We feel very strongly that he is ready and capable. He’s going to come in and compete, nothing is being handed to him.

“When I get the chance to talk to him later, I am going to say the same thing to him that I said to Saquon and that I said to Daniel, you have to come in and compete, nothing is getting handed to you. He’s big, he’s long, he’s strong, he can bend. He can anchor in pass (protection). He’s very athletic in the open field, we are just really excited to have him, and continue to build this team properly.”

“I’ll tell you what, his skillset favors his opportunity to come in and contribute. He’s long, he’s a good athlete, he has good short area redirect,” head coach Joe Judge said. “One thing that sticks out about him is when you watch the top pass rushers, with the exception of maybe a couple in this draft, they have to go against him. You watch his college tape and he is going against all the guys that you are going to see get drafted in the next couple of days. He does a heck of job on them, you see him compete, you see him play big in big games and that’s important. He was coached very hard at the University of Georgia and that’s a trait we look for. Guys who can play hard and play on big stages and compete.”

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Giants hold post-draft Zoom call: 13 things we learned

New York Giants GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge held a post-2020 NFL Draft conference call and these are 13 things we learned.

The 2020 NFL Draft has officially come and gone, and the New York Giants ultimately stayed in place and used all 10 of their picks, including each of their four in Round 7.

The team was very specific and deliberate in their approach, focusing all of their attention on the offensive line, secondary and linebackers.

At the conclusion of the draft, general manager Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge held a video conference with reporters via Zoom. Here are 10 things we learned.

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Trades almost went down

As noted above, the Giants stood pat with all 10 of their picks, but a few trades almost went down. One of which came in Round 2, where the team had intended to trade down had safety Xavier McKinney not been available.

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2020 NFL Draft: Giants select CB Chris Williamson in Round 7

With their ninth pick (No. 247 overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select Minnesota CB Chris Williamson.

With their ninth pick (No. 247 overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft, the New York Giants select Minnesota CB Chris Williamson.

After taking three consecutive linebackers, the Giants went back to working on their secondary with the addition of Williamson, who was the teammate of linebacker Carter Coughlin — another Giants seventh round pick — at Minnesota.

Here is what NFL Network draft analyst Lance Zierlein had to say about Williamson:

Williamson has good size and the body type to get even bigger as a down defender. He was used in the role of big nickel, acting as an extra linebacker near the line of scrimmage while spot-dropping into coverage underneath. He’s willing and decisive as a run defender and sees what he hits, but he doesn’t carry much stopping power. He’s lacking in reactive athleticism to track slashers in run support and cover slots man-to-man. The lack of production and subpar explosiveness could hurt his chances of being drafted or making a squad.

With the secondary suddenly becoming quite crowded, it’s unclear what sort of role the Giants may have in mind for the 6-foot, 205-pound Williamson. He can nickel, but the Giants already have Grant Haley, Sam Beal and fourth-round pick Darnay Holmes competing for that job.

One thing Williamson has going for him is a long-time friendship with Giants wide receiver Darius Slayton.

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New mock draft simulation with Cardinals trading down, picking up 2nd-rd pick

The Cardinals pick up a second-round pick in trading back to the 14th pick.

Thus far, with my weekly full mock draft simulations, there have been no trade scenarios. The Arizona Cardinals simply make selections with their original picks.

In my latest full seven-round simulation, I look at a potential trade back in the first round.

This is how it goes.

Trade with Buccaneers

Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports

The first seven picks of this mock draft are quarterbacks and defensive players, meaning every offensive lineman is on the board. I find a trade partner in the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have the 14th pick. The Bucs give the Cardinals the 14th pick and their second-round pick in exchange for the eighth pick and the Cardinals’ seventh-round pick.

Tampa takes Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs to help protect quarterback Tom Brady. It is a reasonable scenario if they want Wirfs.

Now the Cardinals still have six selections, but now have a second-round pick again.

Now for the Cardinals’ picks.

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2020 NFL draft: Panthers FaceTime with Minnesota CB prospect

2020 NFL draft: Panthers FaceTime with Minnesota CB prospect

Donte Jackson is currently the best cornerback on the Panthers roster. Considering that he got benched near the end of the 2019 season, that’s a pretty sad state of affairs.

To recap, the team’s former No. 1 corner James Bradberry has already signed a three-year deal with the Giants and both Ross Cockrell and Javien Elliott are now free agents. That leaves Carolina extremely thin at one of the most critical defensive positions in today’s game.

The good news is that the 2020 draft class is arguably deeper at corner than any other spot, so teams should be able to land impact players even on Day 3.

According to Justin Melo at Draft Wire, the team recently held a pre-draft FaceTime meeting with Minnesota’s Chris Williamson. He’s had similar meetings with the Bills (of course), Cardinals and Vikings.

Williamson is not Minnesota’s top defensive back prospect this year. That distinction belongs to former Pro Bowl Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield’s son, who might just be the best safety in his class.

Williamson could still be a valuable addition for several teams around the league, though. His college numbers can give you an idea of his versatility. Over the last two seasons, he’s posted one interception, seven pass breakups, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a touchdown.

Let’s take a look at his 2019 highlights to get to know his game better.

There are a lot of cornerback prospects ranked ahead of him, so Williamson (six-foot, 205 pounds) is likely to be either a late-round draft pick or a college free agent signing.

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Cardinals have met with Minnesota CB prospect Chris Williamson

He played two seasons for Minnesota after transferring from Florida. He played well in the Shrine Game.

The Arizona Cardinals continue to prepare for the 2020 NFL Draft, even though they must only have virtual contact with draft prospects leading up to the draft. They have had video visits with many players.

Another such player they have met with electronically is Minnesota cornerback Chris Williamson.

According to Draft Wire’s Justin Melo, the Cardinals are one of four teams with whom Williamson has had meetings via FaceTime.

Williamson is a late Day 3 prospect or could be an undrafted rookie target after the draft.

He is nearly six feet tall and weighs 199 pounds. He is fast. He played two seasons for the Gophers after transferring from Florida and had one interception and seven pass breakups in two seasons. He did not attend the combine and also did not have a pro day because of the coronavirus pandemic, but he played very well in the East-West Shrine game.

He had hamstring issues when with Florida and those problems seem to have gone away now.

The Cardinals have one pick each in the sixth and seventh rounds of the draft. He could be a target in those rounds and might be one of the undrafted rookie we hear them sign after the draft.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 262

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Ep. 261

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