Mike Williams on Chargers' pick: "This is something I've dreamed of"

Mike Williams is now a Los Angeles Charger

by David Hood - Senior Writer - Thu Apr 27 22:48:10 GMT-04:00 2017

Number seven went number seven.

Former Clemson wide receiver Mike Williams held a secret workout with the Los Angeles Chargers in Clemson late last week, and the Chargers must have liked what they saw. With the seventh overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft, the Chargers selected Williams, giving quarterback Philip Rivers another dynamic weapon alongside Keenan Allen, Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin.

Williams didn’t make the trip to Philadelphia for the draft festivities, opting to stay at home and watch the proceedings with his family by his side.

“It was crazy. This is something I've dreamed of,” Williams said after learning where he was headed.

“Just watching the draft in previous years and seeing the guys getting that phone call, then getting that phone call this year was a tremendous feeling.”

Williams might have been a first-round pick a year ago, but he suffered a neck injury in Clemson’s 2015 season opener. While making a touchdown catch against Wofford, Williams was shoved into the goalpost and fractured his neck, which knocked him out for the remainder of the year.

Williams returned to action in 2016, catching 98 passes for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns as Clemson won the national title. Williams also topped the 1,000-yard mark as a sophomore, and he wrapped his college career with 2,727 yards receiving. He had nine 100-yard games as a Tiger, topped by his 202-yard performance against Pittsburgh in November. Two weeks later, Williams set a single-game best with three touchdown catches against South Carolina.

Now he’s ready to get to work as a Charger.

“I am just ready to get to work. I had a good sense - I had a great workout with the Chargers,” Williams said. “They came down to Clemson and worked me out, and I killed the workout. I felt like they were a team that could pick me. I think L.A. is a great city, and I just want to fit in. Philip Rivers is a great quarterback, and I want to be a great target for him. It was a great moment for my family. This is something I've dreamed of.”

Former NFL All-Pro wide receiver Steve Smith had this to say about the Williams pick.

“I think it’s a good pick for the Los Angeles Chargers, but I also look at Mike Williams as a high-jumping rebounder,” Smith said. “He’s not as fast as Corey Davis and is nothing close to John Ross. At the same time, you can throw the ball anywhere, and he’s going to catch it. His range is unbelievable. He does lack the speed. He’s still a solid pick, and he’ll catch a ton of passes.”

Williams said he feels like he’s the kind of receiver who can do it all.

“I’m a big, physical receiver,” Williams said. “I can go get the deep ball, I’m going to block on the edge. I just do it all in one.”