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 Williams with theMinnesota Vikings in 2007 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position | Defensive tackle | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born | (1980-08-16)August 16, 1980 (age 45) Arkadelphia, Arkansas, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Listed weight | 311 lb (141 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school | Fordyce(Fordyce, Arkansas) | ||||||||||||||
| College | Oklahoma State (1999–2002) | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2003: 1st round, 9th overall pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Kevin Williams (born August 16, 1980) is an American former professionalfootball player who was adefensive tackle in theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theOklahoma State Cowboys. He was selected by theMinnesota Vikings ninth overall in the2003 NFL draft.
Williams attendedOklahoma State University, where he was a mainstay on theOklahoma State Cowboys football team's defensive front, starting 42 games during his career. He recorded 160 tackles, 38 tackles for loss, and 18.5 sacks during his career and was an integral part of a team that improved from 3–8 with 1 win in the conference in 2000 to an 8–5 overall record with a 5-3 conference mark in 2002. The Cowboys'Houston Bowl appearance in 2002 was only the second time in 14 years that OSU made it to abowl game.
After an outstanding performance during theSenior Bowl, Williams went from a marginal first round choice to a possible top 12 pick for the2003 NFL draft in most scouts' estimation.[1] However, he was considered a “classic one-year wonder” and compared toGerard Warren byStewart Mandel ofSports Illustrated.[2] Others considered Williams "a more natural end" and suggested a move to the edge in the NFL.[3] The Vikings were actually slotted as the 7th team for the 1st round of the draft, but when their 15 minutes on the clock expired, two other teams rushed in and made selections (Jacksonville tookByron Leftwich and Carolina selectedJordan Gross) before Minnesota finally got to choose Williams.[4]
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft4+7⁄8 in (1.95 m) | 304 lb (138 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 9 in (0.23 m) | 4.81 s | 1.68 s | 2.79 s | 5.04 s | 7.66 s | 30 in (0.76 m) | 9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) | 23 reps | |
| All values fromNFL Combine[5] | ||||||||||||
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In 2003, Williams was one of the top impact rookie defenders in team history and led the Vikings with 10.5 sacks, the 2nd-most sacks by a Vikings rookie behindKeith Millard's 11.0 in 1985. He was a consensus All-Rookie team honoree having started opening 12 games of the season at leftdefensive end and moved inside to start atnose tackle for the final 4 games. He set the Vikings rookie record with 3.0 sacks in season finale at Arizona on December 28. Williams was named NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month when he had 18 tackles, 5.0 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception in the 4-game stretch and joinedCarl Eller (1964) andAl Noga (1988) as the only rookie defensive ends in team history to start the season opener when he debuted in the lineup atGreen Bay September 7 and also joined defensive endLance Johnstone as players with 10.0+ sacks, the first time in Vikings history since 1993 whenChris Doleman andJohn Randle accomplished the feat.
Williams compiled 11.5 sacks in 2004, 4 in 2005, and 5 in 2006. Williams played under tackle in the Vikings4–3 defense, with teammatePat Williams manning the nose tackle position. They were known collectively as the "Williams Wall" as well as the "Williams Wrecking Crew" due to their physical presence at the line of scrimmage, an attribute that helped them lead the Vikings to the best rushing defense in the league for three consecutive seasons (2006–2008).[6]
On December 23, 2006, the Minnesota Vikings signed him to a new 7-year contract extension that could reach $50 million with incentives, the contract also included $16 million in guaranteed money.
In 2007, during the NFL Kickoff game, Williams interceptedAtlanta Falcons quarterbackJoey Harrington and ran 54 yards for a touchdown in the 1st quarter. This was the Vikings' first TD for the 2007 season. In week 14 of the same season, Williams interceptedSan Francisco 49ers quarterbackTrent Dilfer and returned the pick for a touchdown in the 1st quarter. It was the first touchdown of the game and Williams' second interception touchdown of the season.
On December 2, 2008, he received a four-game suspension for use of adiuretic, which can be used amasking agent forsteroid use. It is believed that the diuretic was found in a weight-loss supplement that he had been taking. Williams, along with Pat Williams, appealed the suspension to a Minnesota federal court; the judge ruled against the NFL's decision and allowed all suspended players, including Williams, to play until a further review of the case. The case review had been ongoing through the entire 2009 and 2010 NFL seasons, but in 2011, he was suspended for only 2 games under the rules of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement.
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On June 12, 2014, Williams signed a one-year contract with theSeattle Seahawks in excess of $2 million.[7][8][9] He would play all 16 games for the Seahawks that season, recording 30 tackles, 3 sacks, 2 pass deflections, and 6 tackles for loss on the #1 defense in points allowed in the league.[10] Williams played in his first career Super Bowl inSuper Bowl XLIX. In the Super Bowl, Williams recorded 3 tackles, but the Seahawks lost 28–24 to theNew England Patriots.
TheNew Orleans Saints signed Williams to a one-year contract on June 12, 2015. He blocked an extra point during the Saints Week 12 matchup against theCarolina Panthers.Stephone Anthony picked it up and returned it for two points, becoming the first person to do so.
On July 27, 2016, Williams signed a one-day contract with the Minnesota Vikings before announcing his retirement from professional football.[11]
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Fumbles | Interceptions | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | FF | FR | Yds | Int | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | PD | |||
| 2003 | MIN | 16 | 51 | 36 | 15 | 10.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
| 2004 | MIN | 16 | 70 | 52 | 18 | 11.5 | 2 | 3 | 77 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
| 2005 | MIN | 14 | 42 | 30 | 12 | 4.0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2006 | MIN | 16 | 36 | 28 | 8 | 5.0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 2007 | MIN | 16 | 38 | 30 | 8 | 3.0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 2 | 72 | 36.0 | 54 | 2 | 6 |
| 2008 | MIN | 16 | 60 | 45 | 15 | 8.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2009 | MIN | 16 | 30 | 22 | 8 | 6.0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2010 | MIN | 16 | 39 | 27 | 12 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
| 2011 | MIN | 14 | 38 | 25 | 13 | 5.0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2012 | MIN | 16 | 30 | 19 | 11 | 2.0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 2013 | MIN | 15 | 29 | 17 | 12 | 3.5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 2014 | SEA | 16 | 30 | 18 | 13 | 3.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 2015 | NO | 16 | 32 | 18 | 14 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Career[12] | 203 | 525 | 367 | 158 | 63.0 | 9 | 13 | 98 | 5 | 82 | 16.4 | 54 | 2 | 68 | |
Williams graduated fromFordyce High School in 1998, where many of his individual football records still stand. Williams married in June 2005 to Tasha, who ended her collegiate basketball career in 2006 as a senior atLouisiana Tech and helped the Lady Techsters to the NCAA Tournament, earning all-conference honors. Kevin majored in general studies and earned his degree in the spring of 2003 from Oklahoma State.[13]
Oklahoma State's Kevin Williams, an undersized defensive tackle whom many teams consider a more natural end, has been one of the best risers in the draft. He followed an impressive Senior Bowl with a strong combine workout (4.84 40-yard dash).
