2013 NFL DRAFT - Steelers Seventh Round Selection
NICHOLAS WILLIAMSDefensive EndSamford University Bulldogs6-4 - 309Birmingham, AlabamaMinor High School7th Round – 223rd Overall
2012 SEASONPlayed in all 11 games . . . recorded 31 tackles (15 solo), eight tackles for loss, six sacks, four quarterback hurries, three pass breakups and blocked one kick . . . recorded a season-high six tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two sacks vs. Wofford on 11/3/12 . . . registered at least one sack in three consecutive games.
2011 SEASONStarted all 11 games on the defensive line . . . tallied 23 tackles, including 17 solo stops . . . had three tackles for a loss . . . had four tackles against Georgia Southern . . . tallied four tackles against Western Carolina . . . had three tackles at The Citadel.
2010 SEASONSaw action in all 11 games . . . had nine tackles, including four solo stops . . . forced one fumble . . . had four tackles, including one solo stop, against Newberry College . . . forced a fumble at Chattanooga.
2009 SEASONSaw action in seven games . . . tallied three tackles, all solo stops . . . had one tackle against Jacksonville . . . produced two tackles against Miles College.
2008 SEASONRedshirted . . . participated on Samford's scout team.
HIGH SCHOOLTotaled 25 tackles as a defensive lineman . . . also played offensive lineman, registering two pancake blocks . . . had two interceptions, scoring one touchdown . . . recorded one fumble recovery and knocked down two passes.
PERSONALBorn Feb. 21, 1990 . . . son of Frederick and Natalie Williams . . . majoring in public administration.
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Nicholas Williams Conference Call Transcript
NICHOLAS WILLIAMSDefensive End – Samford University Bulldogs7th Round – 223rd Overall
Did you add 75 pounds in college?I came into college about 240 pounds, and since then the heaviest I've weighed is about 320 pounds. And now I'm back to 310 pounds.
Did you only play one year of high school football?I just played my sophomore year. I always played pee-wee league ball, and when I got to high school I was 6'2". Believe it or not, I was 185 pounds. I got real skinny as a young kid, so I said, "I guess I'm a basketball player." I came out for the team my sophomore year, and I was really good at it.
Have you had your eye on the Steelers?It's a sigh of relief that they even picked me. Coach John Mitchell came up to Birmingham, Ala., and took me out. He talked to me, and we had a great conversation. I'm just proud to be a Steeler now.
Will you continue to put on weight?I can put on as much weight as I have to. I guess I have that type of body and that type of frame.
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Defensive Line/Assistant Head Coach John Mitchell RE 7th Round Pick Nicholas Williams
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NICHOLAS WILLIAMSDefensive End – Samford University Bulldogs7th Round – 223rd Overall
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Coach Mitchell:Nicholas Williams is a young man from Birmingham, Alabama. He went to Samford University right there. Samford is a little liberal arts college right there in Birmingham. This guy was a heck of a basketball player coming out of high school. He only played one year of football. Pat Sullivan, the ex-Heisman trophy winner, is the head football coach there. Pat Sullivan knew his father, and they asked him to go look at his son. As a basketball player, they looked at him. He went to Samford because the guy had good size coming out of high school, and they signed him. He is a young guy. He is not going to come in here and replace anybody. He is probably not going to play. He is a project. But you can't get guys that are 6'4" 320 pounds that can run and look like a guy that is 310 pounds. I like this guy. He didn't dominate right there in Samford. He only started two years there, but I think his football is ahead of him rather than behind him.
Where will he play?He is going to be a defensive end.
Have you heard of him before?Yes, Pat Sullivan had talked to me about this kid for about the last year. I am very close with Pat. He is a guy that we have had our eye on for a good while.
Is it almost easier since he is so raw to teach him your three-four without having to unlearn other things?I don't care what scheme he played in college. When he comes here he is going to do it the Steelers way. He is going to do it the way we want so it doesn't make any difference to me what he did in college. No matter if he was a first round draft choice, they are going to do it our way.
Did you say he is 320 pounds?He's 320 pounds. When you look at him you are going to think he is about 310. When I was there back in early March he was 317 and he has been as high as 320. He carries his weight very well. This guy was a heck of a basketball player coming out of high school.
He just played one year of football?One year in high school. He was a starter at Samford for two years. If you watch him on tape you won't get very excited about him. But if you look at him and you look at the potential that he has, he reminds me of when we signed Steve McLendon here. He's a guy that a lot of you guys didn't think would ever play here. He stayed here in this program and he did it our way. He is going to have a chance to be a good football player.
He's 6'4", 320 pounds?Yes. He's probably 317. He's lost a little weight, but I would say he's 317.
Will Cameron Heyward have an opportunity to compete with Ziggy Hood?We're going to play him. He's going to have an opportunity to play on both sides. If you go back and look, he did. He played on both sides last year. So we're going to play him on the left side some, yes.
Are you happy with what you have at nose tackle?Yes, I'm very happy. I'm very happy. I remember sitting here last year. You guys had a coronation for Alameda Ta'amu. I told you if you look we had a guy who wore number 90 who was going to have a chance to play. I remember that. So I'm very happy with him.
How much did he play?He played 150 plays. You have Casey Hampton who is a good football player so yes.
Does Nicholas Williams know that he won't play this year?Yes, he knows that. This guy wants to come somewhere where he will have the opportunity to play down the road. He knows that he only played one year of high school football and Samford is a small university where he started two years. He's excited about having the chance to play pro football in an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Was Williams at the combine?Yes. He was at the combine.
Is he the kind of guy who you wanted to take in the seventh round?What you have to look at as a coach is I don't know how many guys you're going to get next year in the seventh round that are going to be 6'4", 320 that can run. You go back, we took Brett Keisel in the seventh round. Brett Keisel was not 320. Here's a guy that can run. He came here, he played on the special team and when he got a chance to play, he picked up our scheme, did well, the rest is history. I look at this guy, he knows he's not going to play. He's a guy that I like. I think with some coaching, being around other good football players, he's smart enough. Samford is a smart school academically, he's already graduated. I think this guy has tremendous upside. I'm excited about him.
