Washington's Final Pick James Smith-Williams Shines

James Smith-Williams, the last pick of the draft for Washington this past April is already setting himself apart before he steps one foot on the grass in Ashburn.

#NCState's James Smith-Williams, a recent @NFL draft pick & an advocate for victims of sexual & domestic violence, has issued a powerful statement supporting the women whose allegations have embroiled the soon-to-be named Washington team in controversy: https://t.co/Do2xOOpask
— BFriedACC (@BFriedACC) July 19, 2020

SI colleague Brett Friedlander's feature on Smith-Williams has nothing to do with his prowess as a defensive end but everything to do with what the Washington franchise needs even more of.

Good people. They have a bunch (now) but need as many as they can get.

Smith-Williams is the NFL's first ambassador for #SetTheExpectation, a movement that advocates for survivors of sexual and domestic violence, per Friedlander.

This is so much beyond football. It's much more important than a silly name that offends a relatively small part of the group of people that should be offended and becomes a national soap opera.

Smith-Williams might not even get to play this year for Washington, because of an uber-talented and deep defensive line.

It doesn't matter. For a young man to be this aware and engaged to want to help such an important cause is all that matters in the end.

He's clearly smart, mature and uses common sense to get along in life. That's why he has a career waiting for him at IBM if football doesn't work out.

Good for James Smith-Williams. A shining light in an organization that has been dark for way too long.

What do you think of James Smith-Williams Sign up free, register and join us by voicing your opinion on our community pages and right below!

Chris Russell is the Publisher of this site, a part of SI.com. He can be heard on 106.7 The FAN in the Washington D.C. area and world-wide on Radio.com. Chris also hosts the "Locked on Redskins" Podcast and can be read via subscription to Warpath Magazine. You can e-mail Chris at russellmania09@Gmail.com or follow him on Twitter at @Russellmania621

Add us as a preferred source on Google