Aaron Williams Scouting Report

Despite the presence of Curtis Brown and Chykie Brown, Aaron Williams has managed to start 18 games at cornerback over the last three years. Even as a freshman in 2008, Williams managed to crack the starting lineup. He made some big plays that year, including blocking an incredible four punts and returning an interception for an 81-yard score. Williams started 13 games in 2009 and tallied 44 tackles, three interceptions and started to show his big hitting ability by forcing two fumbles.

Williams continues to be a force during his junior campaign, whether it be at the nickel back spot or one of the corners. Through six games he is sixth on the Longhorns with 28 tackles, including 5.0 tackles-for-loss. Williams is not getting the interceptions so far this year, but he has forced three fumbles. Of all the talented corners at Texas, Williams has the most size at 6-1 and 192 pounds and uses that size to lay out some big hits.

The NFL will like his ability to make big plays, but Williams is also a very good athlete who can cover just about anybody quite effectively. He may want to head back to Austin for his senior season and be the leader of the secondary, but if he continues to impress scouts with his versatility and pure skills, he could head to the NFL early and be a first or second round selection.

1/17 Update: Williams got even more playing time late in the year when Chykie Brown went down with an injury. However, by then the Texas defense pretty much fell apart. The secondary had a ton of problems, but Williams is more than talented enough to make scouts forget about Texas' disappointing season. Williams was projected to be a first or second round selection by the draft advisory board and should stay around that range barring something extraordinary and unexpected in the pre-draft workouts.

3/25 Update: Williams performed as expected at the NFL combine. There has been a lot of discussion about whether Williams is a cornerback or a free safety. That ultimately will depend on the team and the defensive scheme, but there are good arguments both ways. Williams has done a pretty good job of proving he is a corner, but some are still not sold and he could slip into the second round for that reason.