Family Connections Help Pitt CB at Steelers Minicamp

Pitt Panthers cornerback Marquis Williams felt right at home when he arrived for rookie minicamp with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Pittsburgh Panthers defensive back Marquis Williams (14) runs off with the ball after making an / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY

PITTSBURGH -- It didn't take long for former Pitt Panthers cornerback Marquis Williams to settle in on the other side of the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex after picking up an invite to rookie minicamp with the Pittsburgh Steelers, where he'll try to play his way into a professional football career.

Williams was up before the sun on day one of minicamp and made the familiar trip to Pittsburgh's South Side but instead of entering the right side of the building like he had for six seasons at Pitt, he entered on the left and went straight to the office of special teams coordinator, Danny Smith. It was a new environment but he felt right at home.

“It’s crazy because when I got in the building, everybody already knew me. It’s like ‘Oh you were next door,’ ‘Oh you’re home,’ - stuff like that," Williams said. "It felt great to know they know me from going around to watch their practices and just be around their practices. And [head coach Mike Tomlin] just allowing us to come up close and watch their practices, it was a blessing.”

Williams said it felt like a family atmosphere with the Steelers and not just because he'd spent so much time observing them from afar when he was in college. As the nephew of former Steelers defesnive back and two-time Super Bowl champion, Tyrone Carter, he has a previous relationship with the franchise and Tomlin that's helped make the adjustment smooth.

“I always knew Coach Mike T since my uncle had been playing here," Williams said. "I’ve been around always with Mike T. It’s been a great friendship. I call him uncle. So it’s definitely great that he knows me, a lot of the staff know me as well. They all got experiences of coaching with Mike T and it’s all family oriented so I definitely adapted very quickly.”

Williams is fighting an uphill battle to land even a spot on the 90-man roster for training camp. He hasn't been signed to a contract and his 5'8 and 176-pound frame make him smaller than the average NFL defensive back. But he's willing to do whatever it takes to earn his shot.

“I want to show them my speed, how I can move around, how I can adapt to defenses, I’m quick and fast, I can communicate with my safeties, linebackers, I know what the defensive line is doing, safeties do," Williams said. "I want to show them I can fly around on special teams, make the plays on special teams and show that I can be on every special team to help this team get a championship, like Coach T says.”

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