Packer Central

Packers Host Aerospace Engineer on NFL Draft Visit

Cincinnati’s John Williams was the Bearcats’ two-year starting left tackle. He has an interesting story and a famous resemblance.
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Cincinnati Bearcats offensive lineman John Williams
Cincinnati Bearcats offensive lineman John Williams | Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

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Green Bay Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Not all NFL Draft visits are about getting to know a potential first-round pick. Cincinnati offensive tackle John Williams, a potential Day 3 prospect, met with the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, according NFL insider Aaron Wilson.

Williams started every game at left tackle during his final two seasons. He allowed just one sacks and eight total pressures in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus, after yielding two sacks and 14 pressures in 2023. Plus, he helped running back Corey Kiner rush for 1,047 yards in 2023 and 1,153 yards in 2024.

NFL.com, and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler consider him a priority free agent while PFF has him ranked No. 188 overall.

“Overall, Williams has the footwork and pass-blocking instincts that will play well at the next level,” Brugler wrote in The Beast, “but the main concern is about his ability to halt and move NFL defensive linemen. Some of his skills work best at tackle, others at guard – and he might be caught in the middle.”

Williams, a native of Bolingbrook (Ill.) High School, majored in aerospace engineering. He was lightly recruited as a three-star recruit. His other offers were from Northern Illinois, Kansas State and Temple.

“I kind of feel a bit vindicated,” Williams said at the Scouting Combine. “I’ve been underrated for a while, and I feel like I still need to earn a little bit. But it’s been amazing. This is an amazing opportunity, something you always dream about. I honestly haven’t really even processed it quite yet.”

At the Combine, he measured 6-foot-4 1/8 and 322 pounds. With a 5.17 in the 40, his Relative Athletic Score was 7.60. He’s got 33 7/8-inch arms and massive 11-inch hands.

With his size, it doesn’t take a, well, rocket scientist to see the NFL is in his future. The surprise was seeing a giant man walking into the aerospace classroom.

“People are definitely surprised,” Williams told The Athletic. “A lot of weird looks when you go in classrooms — ‘Why is he here? No way he has this class.’”

That career is going to have to wait, though. First, there will be his shot in the NFL, where he will get a look at right tackle but might be more at home at guard.

“It’s two different mindsets,” Williams said about similarities between his major and his future vocation. “Football is a lot less to think about.”

Williams holds a resemblance to the legendary wrestler and actor Dwayne Johnson. “The Rock” acknowledged it while making a self-deprecating joke about his major.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.