Giants Player Profile: Chris Williamson, DB
2019 Rewind
The Giants had four seventh-round picks in the 2020 NFL Draft. Two of the selections were from the University of Minnesota, one being defensive back Chris Williamson, a versatile player with experience on the boundary, and in the slot.
According to Pro Football Focus, he played 444 of his 657 snaps in the slot of Joe Rossi’s defense, which differs from his 2018 tape, where he played the majority of the time as a wide corner.
Throughout his college tenure, he played in 38 games, starting 10, while recording 96 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 9 passes defensed, and two interceptions.
Minnesota was not Williamson’s first school; the 5’11", 199-pound corner, was initially a Florida Gator but transferred to Minnesota in 2017.
By the end of his time rowing the boat, he earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine game and had a solid week of practice in St. Petersburg.
Minnesota head coach P.J. Fleck has openly embraced Williamson’s ability to develop into a leader on and off the field, making it difficult for a player to transfer in from another program.
Williamson is used to switching positions and responsibilities though; he was recruited out of high school as a receiver but saw much more value in playing defense, so he turned his focus to that side of the football. Too bad his time in Gainesville didn’t work out, mostly due to a hamstring injury that limited his development.
The young player showed strides in his game playing the new role of nickel cornerback. His jump from 2018 to 2019 was a long one, but it led to him being drafted. He wasn’t invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl, nor was he invited to the NFL Combine, but he still caught the eye of the New York Giants.
Going Forward
The Giants have poured assets into their secondary over the last three drafts. Sam Beal was a third-round supplemental selection in 2018; DeAndre Baker (whose status is uncertain) was a first-rounder in 2019; Corey Ballentine a sixth-rounder in 2019; Darnay Holmes was drafted in the fourth round before Williamson in 2020; and the Giants brought in James Bradberry from the Carolina Panthers.
Those are just the cornerbacks; the Giants also added safety-corner Julian Love in the fourth of 2019, safety Jabrill Peppers via trade, and safety Xavier McKinney in the second round of 2020.
Some of these additions will create a much-needed competition for the nickel position. The Giants' most significant liability in 2019 was the nickel, which was originally being played by the excellent run defending Grant Haley, who also struggles to defend vertically.
Ballentine struggled in the slot as well, and Love showed some interesting ability at the position, but it’s still an open competition.
Williamson is going to have a tough time cracking the roster with all of the defensive backs in the room, but there is an opportunity, and the Giants are going to try and fix that nickel position. If he can prove to be a better option than Holmes or Haley, then he may earn a spot, but the existence of the three safeties is going to make it difficult.
The sad reality for Williamson is that he can outplay Holmes, but that won’t mean he’ll steal his roster spot. The roster spot casualty will have to come from somewhere else because I doubt the Giants will part ways with Holmes, a fourth-round selection.
Even if Williamson fails to make the team, he’ll find himself on the Giants’ practice squad as he develops and hones his skill-set as a slot corner in the NFL.
