Green Bay Packers tight end Evan Williams had plenty to celebrate on his 23rd birthday Sunday. The rookie out of Oregon threw an interception to Sean Clifford, making it his third pick in the first week of his first NFL training camp.
Williams said after practice that he considers himself a point guard, but he knows there are times when opportunities to make interceptions don’t come around as often, so he tries to make the most of them.
The Packers’ safeties have had a great start to camp so far, with Williams and fellow rookie Javon Bullard playing key roles. Both have caused turnovers as starters in defense, showing the coaching staff that this isn’t a massive deal for them.
Before Sunday’s practice, head coach Matt LaFleur addressed the performances of Williams and Bullard.
“I’m really excited about both of those guys,” LaFleur said. “Obviously, they have the skill set, but the mental ability of both of those guys allows them to take what they learned in OTAs and come back and continue to build on that day in and day out. I thought that was super impressive. They’re versatile enough. We can rotate safety, so you don’t know who’s going to be where. It’s such a competitive situation.”
Of the Packers’ 11 novel draft picks, Williams has made the most noise of them all in terms of productivity. No one on defense has forced more turnovers than Williams, which are often the deciding factor in regular-season wins.
Williams’ ball skills weren’t what he was known for, but they were certainly a pleasant surprise. He had four interceptions in his college career but none in his final year with the Ducks. But he made a positive impact in other ways, positioning himself all over the court.
Green Bay plans to apply its safeties interchangeably this season, meaning Williams could be asked to play deep, in the slot or in the box on any given play. That may be a lot for a rookie, but Williams noted that he enjoys trying to learn a novel defensive scheme while also trying to pick up on any tendencies on offense.
It’s a positive sign that Williams didn’t feel overwhelmed as he had the ball all the time.
“I honestly feel like I’m improving every day,” Williams said. “Every day I’m just trying to learn a little bit more about how our coordinator thinks and what decisions he’s going to make in certain situations.”
If Williams continues his current pace of getting involved in the scheme of things and translating it into play on the field, he could be a significant contributor to the Packers defense in 2024.
