FRISCO — Earlier in the week, Jerry Jones, owner and general manager of the Cowboys, spoke about taking fewer risks in the NFL draft.
Maybe Jones was just messing around with the media during the preliminary press conference. On day one of the NFL draft, the Cowboys opted to remain ranked 24 and risk no draft funds to get one of the 15 players they had first-round grades on.
Instead, the Cowboys selected tackle/guard Tyler Smith of Tulsa. You could say the Cowboys drafted a player who could be picked in the second round at the end of the first round.
On Friday night, the Cowboys took a gamble by picking Ole Miss defensive end Sam Williams in the second round at pick #56 overall.
Williams is an excellent soccer player. He is entering his rookie season after being named a first-team All-SEC. He was a third-team All-American by the Associated Press. Williams has compiled 57 total tackles, the most by an Ole Miss defenseman since 2018. He broke last season’s school record with 10 ½ sacks and finished the year in 10th place nationally with four forced fumbles. At the combine he produced a 4.46 40 with a vertical jump of 32 inches. Wanting a faster time on his Pro Day, Williams again ran a sprite like 4.38 40.
Everything Bleeds, this is a perfect pick for the Cowboys that need help on the edges of the defensive line.
However, it is also another second-round risk.
In July 2020, Williams was suspended from the Ole Miss football team on a sexual harassment charge, according to Clarion Ledger (Jackson, Miss). Williams, after being charged in July 2020, was reinstated in September after no charges were filed.
“It’s the past, obviously I haven’t done anything,” Williams said in a conference call Friday night. “And now I’m just hey it’s a new life, a complete fresh start ahead of me and what I’m looking for most is a fresh start in a new space with great coaches and great teammates and my family. ”
Williams said NFL teams asked him about the incident. There are currently no known pending legal disputes.
Jerry Jones is confident in Williams’ valuation. The two met in Las Vegas at the NFLPA game and that interaction, in addition to the investigation the team was conducting, helped the team arrest him.
“He has a lot of people on his team that are really high-profile people,” Jones said
Drafting Williams is another risky second-round pick by the Cowboys. Some worked out well, some didn’t.
Last year, the Cowboys conceded a second-round pick for Kentucky cornerback Kelvin Joseph. It’s been a difficult rookie season for Joseph on and off the field. His player status is uncertain, though he continues to train at The Star during voluntary workouts while awaiting possible charges over his involvement in a murder in March.
The Cowboys are patiently dealing with Joseph here, hoping no charges will be brought and that he may be able to continue playing for them. He is subject to some NFL discipline for possible violations of the league’s conduct policy.
Joseph isn’t the only second-round pick who has struggled. You can go all the way back to 2015, when the Cowboys caught Nebraska’s Randy Gregory on defense because they knew he had failed drug tests.
Jaylon Smith was a 2016 pick, but that risk related to his recovery from a knee injury that nearly ended his career and cost him his rookie season.
Of course, one can check out the troubled career or 2019 runner-up Trysten Hill, a defensive tackle that has flashed on the field but lacks consistency.
Every player is risky, but when you have a health issue or an off-field problem, the intensity increases.
Williams is the latest to receive testing for an off-the-field problem in college that prompted NFL teams to inquire about it.
The Cowboys are confident that Williams can easily have a successful career with their franchise.
However, Williams knows the sexual battery charge has tarnished his reputation.
“Of course,” Williams said of his spokesman’s injury. “Hey, that’s everyone. When something like this comes up to someone, I think that’s how they will feel. Hey I got one more chance at life, this isn’t me, this won’t determine who the person I am is. I pray to god that doesn’t put a label on me but all I’m thankful for is a team that believes in me.”
So the Cowboys are once again taking a chance with a second-round pick they hope won’t have any trouble.
New Cowboys DE Sam Williams: “I’m blessed. I’m smiling from ear to ear.” He spoke to the team on Thursday before the first round and they wished each other luck. Williams told the Cowboys he hoped they got who they wanted. “I think they got who they want. I’m glad they did.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) April 30, 2022
Cowboys draft Ole Miss edge rusher Sam Williams, who was first-team All-SEC with 16 TFL and 12 1/2 sacks. He was suspended from the team in 2020 for sexual violence. Those charges were later dropped and he returned to the team.
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) April 30, 2022
Cowboys continue the trend of drafting second-round players with some off-the-field issues like Kelvin Joseph (2021) Randy Gregory (2015).
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) April 30, 2022
Cowboys welcomed DE Sam Williams on a 30-day pre-draft visit, giving them an additional opportunity to check out his character. They felt comfortable with Williams and made the choice.
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) April 30, 2022
New Cowboys rookie DE Sam Williams on the 2020 sexual assault charges being dropped: “Obviously I didn’t do anything. … I pray to God it doesn’t put a label on me.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) April 30, 2022
EN Sam Williams on the player the Cowboys just drafted in the second round: “Oh, I’m relentless. i am a beast I am a dog. i love the game I’m studying the game. You’re going to get a player who wants to play, wants to win, wants to do his job, wants to excel.”
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) April 30, 2022
Sam Williams said it was difficult to get cell phone signal at his DL coach’s (Randall Joyner) home. Dan Quinn kept texting him to pick up the phone. When asked why he has poor cell phone reception, “it’s a bad area.”
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) April 30, 2022
Sam Williams said teams asked him about the 2020 sexual assault charge: “It’s the past, obviously I haven’t done anything and now I’m just hey, it’s a new life, a whole new beginning ahead of me , and that’s me. I prefer to look for a fresh start in a new field.”
— Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) April 30, 2022
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More from Day 2 of the NFL Draft
— Cowboys fulfill a mission they claim they don’t have by addressing needs in the first 2 days of drafts
– Cowboys pick former Ole Miss DE Sam Williams 56th overall in the NFL draft
– Cowboys pick former South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert 88th overall in the NFL draft
– “Don’t be hatin’: Emmitt Smith silences the Dallas Cowboys haters before announcing the third round pick
For more cowboy coverage from The Dallas Morning News, click here.