NFL Draft Profile: Ronald Williams, Cornerback, Michigan State Spartans
Ronald Williams
Michigan State Spartans
#9
Pos: CB
Ht: 6006
Wt: 184
Hand: 928
Arm: 3248
Wing: 7748
DOB: 9/5/1998
Hometown: Ferriday, LA
High School: Ferriday
Eligibility: 2023
One-Liner:
Tall, long corner with ample deep speed and solid ball skills but inexperience at the position is clear with poor hand usage in press coverage, eye discipline and false steps in off coverage, allowing too much separation in a variety of coverage techniques.
Evaluation:
Ronald Williams has great height and arm length which can help him contest throws that some cornerbacks simply cannot. Additionally, with refinement, his long arms can be an asset in rerouting receivers. Williams has ample speed and is not beat deep often at all. Playing in the Spartans zone heavy defense, Williams shows flashes of reading the quarterback’s eyes and feeling their intentions - William’s quarterback background clearly helps in this regard. When Williams is actually in position at the catch point, he has strong ball skills and solid production to back it up - he regularly “sees the ball in”, allowing him to break up passes with ease. Lastly, Williams is a willing tackler in the pass and run game. He takes on blocks with ample physicality and is not scared of contact. Williams is an extremely raw defensive back and is more projection than substance right now. From press alignments, Williams’ long arms aren’t utilized effectively as his attempts to jam do not lead to effective re-routes. Williams struggles to time or place his jam and consistently struggles to make contact at the point of attack. When contact is occasionally made, Williams lacks power in his strike and fails to move receivers off their path. Furthermore, when Williams is in a trailing position, he takes too long to close space and get into the receivers’ hip pocket, leaving him out of position at the catch point. From off-coverage alignments, Williams loses his eye discipline when the receiver makes a fake or break, taking his eyes off their hips, panicking and popping up in his stance. This high pad level and false steps lead to inefficient movement at the stem and Williams often gives up multiple yards of separation as a result. Additionally, Williams is slow to process in and out breaking routes and shows hesitation when clicking and closing.
Background:
Ronald Williams attended Ferriday High School in Louisiana and played quarterback, completing 125/276 passes for 1,868 yards and 21 touchdowns while also rushing for 757 yards on 101 carries and nine TDs his senior year. Williams committed to South Alabama but was deemed ineligible because he forgot his calculator for the ACT and couldn’t participate in the test. Williams' next step was junior college, specifically Hutchinson, where he started his redshirt freshman year in 2017 as a safety. He moved to wide receiver in the fall and then cornerback right before 2018 camp. Among junior college prospects, 247Sports ranked him as a 4-Star recruit, the 12th-best recruit nationally, the 4th-ranked cornerback recruit in the country and the 5th recruit in the state of Louisiana.
Due to Williams’ strong play, he transferred to Alabama, where he played in only two games in 2020 due to a broken arm. Instead of continuing at Alabama and potentially plugging the hole left by Trevon Diggs, Williams transferred to Michigan State. Through 10 games, he’s tallied 31 tackles, one interception and six pass breakups. Williams has made a strong impression on his teammates - during camp, standout wide receiver Jalen Nailor said of cornerbacks Williams and Florida transfer Chester Kimbrough, “Those two guys really have been pushing me and the whole receiver room, making us get better. I think those two really have been standing out as our cornerbacks right now.”
Grade:
7th Round
