 Williams while playing forVirginia Tech in 2004 | |||||||||
| No. 24 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Cornerback | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1984-03-08)March 8, 1984 (age 41) Hampton, Virginia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 216 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Bethel (Hampton) | ||||||||
| College | Virginia Tech | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 2006: 2nd round, 37th overall pick | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Stats at ArenaFan.com | |||||||||
James Franklin Williams Jr. (born March 8, 1984) is an American former professionalfootball player who was acornerback for theAtlanta Falcons andSan Francisco 49ers of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football for theVirginia Tech Hokies, earningunanimous All-American honors. Williams was selected by theAtlanta Falcons in the second round of the2006 NFL draft, but was later suspended for violating the NFL'sbanned substances policy.
Williams was born inHampton, Virginia. As a child, he played for the Hampton Tornados in a youth football league. He attendedBethel High School as asenior, playing for the Bethel Bruinshigh school football team. He played the previous three seasons playing forHampton High School, winning a state championship in 1998. Williams was known for his versatility during his prep career, competing atquarterback,safety,wide receiver and outsidelinebacker. He earned All-Peninsula District honors as ajunior and senior, adding first-team honors in 2001, and was elected to theNewport NewsDaily Press All-Star team as a senior. In his final season, he collected over 100 tackles with two sacks and intercepted seven passes, returning two for touchdowns as a safety and outside linebacker. On offense, he compiled over 1,000 yards of total offense as a quarterback, passing for five touchdowns and rushing for six. He also returned punts and kicks.
Williams enrolled atVirginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, where he played for coachFrank Beamer'sVirginia Tech Hokies football team as afree safety from 2002 to 2005. He played sparingly his first year, backing up All-AmericanWillie Pile.
In2003 season, Williams moved into the starting job, and scored his first career touchdown, taking a 55-yard interception to the endzone againstRutgers.
In the Hokies'2004ACC championship season, Williams moved from safety tocornerback and played a critical role in two close games. In a 17–10 win againstWake Forest, Williams intercepted aMatt Mauk pass in Hokie territory and returned it to midfield to set up a Tech scoring drive. On Wake's final drive of the game, Williams broke up a pass in the endzone on third down that would have tied the game and potentially sent it into overtime.[1] AgainstNorth Carolina, Williams intercepted a pass fromDarian Durant just before halftime that set up a Hokies field goal.[2]
During his senior year at Tech, Williams was a finalist for theJim Thorpe Award[3] and a unanimous first-teamAll-American.[4] Williams nickname during his senior year at Tech was called "the trash talker supreme".
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+3⁄8 in (1.89 m) | 213 lb (97 kg) | 33 in (0.84 m) | 8+3⁄4 in (0.22 m) | 4.44 s | 4.15 s | 6.69 s | 33.0 in (0.84 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | 12 reps | |||
| All values fromNFL Combine/Pro Day[5][6] | ||||||||||||
Williams was selected in the second round (37th overall) of the2006 NFL draft by theAtlanta Falcons.[7] In his rookie season with the Falcons, Williams started five games and made 33 tackles.[8]
On June 2, 2007, Williams was cited inRichmond, Virginia for possession ofmarijuana during the 2007 offseason.[9] Due to the NFL's personal conduct policy, he was suspended by Roger Goodell for the first five games of the 2008 season.[10] Williams was released by the Falcons on June 17, 2008.[11] He served the five-game suspension as a free agent and was not signed the rest of the year.
After spending the 2008 season out of football, Williams was signed to a future contract by theSan Francisco 49ers on January 22, 2009.
Williams has been suspended for at least one year for violating the NFL'ssubstance abuse policy,
On January 6, 2014, Williams was assigned to theSpokane Shock of theArena Football League. He was placed on Injured Reserve on March 14, 2014. Williams was released from injured reserve on June 5, 2014.
On March 6, 2015, Williams was traded to theNew Orleans VooDoo for future considerations.
