Aaron Williams (American football)

Aaron Williams (born April 23, 1990) is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.

Aaron Williams
refer to caption
Williams warming up in 2015
No. 23
Position:Strong safety
Personal information
Born: (1990-04-23) April 23, 1990
San Jose, California, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:199 lb (90 kg)
Career information
High school:Austin (TX) McNeil
College:Texas (2008–2010)
NFL Draft:2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 34
Career history
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:257
Pass deflections:36
Interceptions:7
Forced fumbles:2
Fumble recoveries:1
Defensive touchdowns:1
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

Williams attended McNeil High School in Austin, Texas. He was considered the top safety recruit by Rivals.com and the second best cornerback recruit by Scout.com in 2008.[1][2] He was selected 1st team All-State by Dave Campbell Texas Football magazine and was also named to the 2008 Parade All-American team. Williams was named an outstanding performer at the 2007 Army National Combine which led to him being selected to the 2008 U.S. Army All-American Bowl game. He was also a two-year letterman in baseball and track & field. He chose Texas over offers from Baylor and USC.

College career

As a freshman in 2008, Williams started one of 13 games at cornerback, recording 13 tackles and an interception which was returned 81 yards for a touchdown. As a sophomore in 2009, he played in 13 games, missing one due to an injury, and recorded 31 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions. As a junior in 2010, he started 11 games, missing two due to an injury, and recorded 45 tackles, one quarterback sack, and two forced fumbles.

Professional career

2011 NFL Draft
Williams in the 2011 preseason.

Williams was selected by the Buffalo Bills as the second pick of the second round (no. 34 overall) in the 2011 NFL Draft.[3]

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeight40-yard dash10-yard split20-yard split20-yard shuttleThree-cone drillVertical jumpBroad jumpBench press
5 117⁄8 204 lb
(93 kg)		 4.55 s1.58 s2.55 s4.07 s6.72 s371⁄210 ft 7 in
(3.23 m)		18 reps
All values from 2011 NFL Scouting Combine.[4]

Buffalo Bills

Following an up and down first two seasons at cornerback, Williams was moved to safety for the 2013 season.

On March 5, 2014, Williams signed a four-year, $26 million extension with the Bills.[5]

In 2015, Williams was injured in a Week 2 game against the New England Patriots while attempting a flying goal line tackle on Julian Edelman. He was completely motionless on the turf, and was taken off the field in an ambulance. Early reports stated he suffered a neck injury.

In 2016, during a Week 3 game against the Arizona Cardinals, Williams scored his first NFL touchdown, returning a botched field goal attempt for the score.[6] In Week 7, Williams suffered another serious neck injury after a hit by Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry. He was placed on injured reserve on November 1, 2016, effectively ending his season.[7]

On March 9, 2017, Williams was released by the Bills.[8]

On January 31, 2018, Williams announced his retirement from the NFL after six seasons in Buffalo.[9][10] His retirement came after multiple head and neck injuries throughout his career, citing it was the main concern of other teams not signing him after workouts in 2017, including the Jaguars, Texans, and Chiefs.

References
  1. Rivals.com safeties 2008 rankings
  2. Scout.com Scout.com cornerback 2008 rankings
  3. "2011 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  4. "*Aaron Williams, DS #4 CB, Texas". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  5. Brown, Chris (March 5, 2014). "Bills sign Aaron Williams to a multi-year extension". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved March 5, 2014.
  6. "Bills bounce back with 33-18 win over Cardinals". ESPN.com. September 25, 2016.
  7. Brown, Chris (November 1, 2016). "Bills sign Percy Harvin in effort to bolster receiver position". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
  8. Brown, Chris (March 9, 2017). "Bills release veteran safety Aaron Williams". BuffaloBills.com. Archived from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved March 9, 2017.
  9. Williams, Aaron (January 31, 2018). "To Buffalo". ThePlayersTribune.com.
  10. Lewis, Edward (January 31, 2018). "Former Bills DB Aaron Williams announces retirement". NFL.com.
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