Chiefs camp: Can Nick Williams go from unknown to contributor?

Quick, if you who Nick Williams is, raise your hand? Anyone? No, okay, well, lets explore defensive lineman Nick Williams, and his odds of making the Kansas City Chiefs roster.

When Eric Berry was placed on the Non Football Injury list in November of 2014, everyone’s attention was focused on the health and future of Berry and for good reason. In this game, Berry is one of the good guys. Few if any paid much attention to the player the Chiefs signed to fill Berry’s roster spot, defensive lineman Nick Williams.

Watching Williams play football, there is a strong similarity to a former Chiefs lineman in Tyson Jackson. Williams is a massive human being, standing 6-foot-5 and 310 pounds. A physical force to be sure. Let’s explore who  Williams is and what he’s about.

Williams played primarily basketball in high school, playing only one year of varsity football, but was able to accomplish enough in his year to earn a scholarship to Samford University in Birmingham Alabama. He started in all games both his junior and senior season at Samford, playing defensive tackle and amassing 31 total tackles with six sacks. In limited tape available, it’s easy to see why an NFL team would take a chance on Williams as there are obviously a limited number of people of this size with athleticism.

There is a great concern on his lack of playmaking at the lower levels. To many times, Williams appears to stand up at the snap and not be exploding off the ball. For a man of his size, especially at the lower level, Williams allows lineman into his body far too often and fails to get any penetration off the line. Instead, you see him many times occupying the offensive lineman on the scrimmage. While he has the size, Williams, at least through his college highlights, doesn’t appear to have the requisite ability to play the nose in this defense, and if he’s going to make Kansas City, it appears he’ll have to do so as a defensive end.

After an invitation to the 2013 NFL Combine, Williams was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the ensuing 2013 draft as the 223rd-overall selection.

Williams would spend both the 2013 season on the Steelers injured reserve and a majority of the 2014 season on the Steelers practice squad, working primarily at both defensive tackle and defensive end in their 3-4 defensive scheme. The Chiefs signed Williams off the Steelers practice squad in November, taking the aforementioned roster spot of Berry. He failed to record any stats in the two games he dressed.

In summation, while I believe Williams has a chance to make the team, especially if he can play like Jackson, (holding the line at the NFL level is far different then doing so at Samford) he could find a spot on the roster. Doing so will be difficult as he’s facing an uphill climb at a deep position. He, like Jerel Worthy we discussed last week, could be playing for a roster spot on a different roster during the preseason. We’ll have to strap up the pads and find out.