Tag: Jamal Williams

Rod Smith among 19 former Broncos nominated for Hall of Fame

Rod Smith is one of eight Broncos Super Bowl champions who have been nominated for the 2025 Pro Football Hall of Fame class.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame has announced 167 modern-era finalists for the 2025 class. The list includes 19 former Denver Broncos players, including eight Super Bowl champions.

Former Broncos wide receiver Rod Smith headlines the list of players who won Super Bowls with Denver in the late 1990s. He is joined by center Tom Nalen, kicker Jason Elam, guard Mark Schlereth, linebacker Bill Romanowski and defensive lineman Neil Smith.

The Broncos also had two members of their Super Bowl 50 squad — late wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and cornerback Aqib Talib — nominated for the Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility.

Other players nominated include running backs Clinton Portis and Glyn Milburn, receivers Wes Welker and Brandon Marshall and cornerback Dré Bly. View the full list below.

Broncos Hall of Fame nominees

  1. WR Rod Smith
  2. C Tom Nalen
  3. K Jason Elam
  4. G Mark Schlereth
  5. LB Bill Romanowski
  6. DL Neil Smith
  7. WR Demaryius Thomas
  8. CB Aqib Talib
  9. WR Wes Welker
  10. RB Clinton Portis
  11. WR Brandon Marshall
  12. RB Glyn Milburn
  13. CB Dré Bly
  14. TE Vernon Davis
  15. DL Jamal Williams
  16. LB Keith Brooking
  17. RB Jamaal Charles
  18. DL Ted Washington
  19. DL Simeon Rice

The Broncos also have 11 senior candidates for the 2025 class, and former coach Mike Shanahan is expected to be a top candidate in the coach category. Voters will trim the list down to 20 finalists with 15 modern-era candidates, three senior candidates, one coach and one contributor. The selection committee will meet before Super Bowl LVIX to elect the 2025 class.

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NFL supplemental draft history: Ex-Chargers DT Jamal Williams among best picks ever

The wide-bodied nose tackle was among the very few who had success.

For the second year in a row, the NFL has elected not to hold the supplemental draft, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.

Last year, the league decided against holding the event largely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a supplemental draft, each team would “bid” on a player by declaring the round they would take them, and the team that lists the highest round wins the rights to them.

The supplemental draft pool features players who didn’t enter the traditional NFL draft due to eligibility, disciplinary or other reasons.

The last supplemental draft in 2019 saw one player selected. The Cardinals gave up their 2020 fifth-round pick to take safety Jalen Thompson.

Normally, finding real talent in these drafts is slim. However, there are diamonds in the rough here and there, and it just so happens that the Chargers were able to find one, with that being defensive tackle Jamal Williams.

Williams was drafted in the second-round of the 1998 NFL supplemental draft out of Oklahoma State University.

A three-time Pro Bowler, Williams was a huge piece of the Chargers’ success on the interior part of the defensive line for more than a decade. He was a wide-bodied, run-stuffing nose tackle who kept linebackers clean by occupying two and three defenders at a time.

In 12 seasons with the Bolts, Williams had 396 total tackles, 54 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, four forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries.

He was named four-time Chargers Lineman of the Year, three-time Chargers Defensive Player of the Year and 2008 Co-MVP.