The Big East's best: No. 9, Mick Williams
February, 15, 2010
2/15/10
4:00
PM ET
By
Brian Bennett | ESPN.com
A postseason ranking of the Big East's top 30 players ...
No. 9
Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh, Sr.
Preseason rank: NR
WilliamsWhy him here: Williams was one of the last guys I left off the preseason top 30 list. And, obviously, I blew it.
Williams was an excellent player who took his game to a new level in 2009. He was wildly disruptive in the middle of Pitt's defensive line, registering a Big East-best 17 tackles for loss, five sacks and three forced fumbles -- all gaudy numbers for an interior lineman. His stellar play earned him league co-defensive player of the year honors, along with teammate Greg Romeus.
Williams is strong as a bull and wildly athletic for a guy of his size -- he was known for breaking a backboard while dunking in a high school basketball game. But while he perfectly fit Dave Wannstedt's mold of undersized linemen, his future at the pro level is more questionable.
At a listed 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds, he'll have to convince skeptical scouts that he has the bulk necessary to play in the NFL. The fact that he wasn't invited to play in either the Senior Bowl or East-West Shrine Game and hasn't been asked to participate in the NFL combine are indicative of how much convincing he'll have to do to make it at the next level.
Regardless, Williams had an outstanding college career and a truly remarkable 2009 campaign.
Previous:
No. 10: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
No. 11: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh
No. 12: Robert Sands, S, West Virginia
No. 13: B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida
No. 14: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh
No. 15: Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers
No. 16: Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut
No. 17: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
No. 18: Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut
No. 19: Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers
No. 20: Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
No. 21: Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh
No. 22: Nate Allen, S, South Florida
No. 23: Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
No. 24: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
No. 25: Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
No. 26: George Selvie, DE, South Florida
No. 27: Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida
No. 28: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 29: Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut
No. 30: Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati
No. 9
Mick Williams, DT, Pittsburgh, Sr.
Preseason rank: NR
Williams was an excellent player who took his game to a new level in 2009. He was wildly disruptive in the middle of Pitt's defensive line, registering a Big East-best 17 tackles for loss, five sacks and three forced fumbles -- all gaudy numbers for an interior lineman. His stellar play earned him league co-defensive player of the year honors, along with teammate Greg Romeus.
Williams is strong as a bull and wildly athletic for a guy of his size -- he was known for breaking a backboard while dunking in a high school basketball game. But while he perfectly fit Dave Wannstedt's mold of undersized linemen, his future at the pro level is more questionable.
At a listed 6-foot-1 and 280 pounds, he'll have to convince skeptical scouts that he has the bulk necessary to play in the NFL. The fact that he wasn't invited to play in either the Senior Bowl or East-West Shrine Game and hasn't been asked to participate in the NFL combine are indicative of how much convincing he'll have to do to make it at the next level.
Regardless, Williams had an outstanding college career and a truly remarkable 2009 campaign.
Previous:
No. 10: Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers
No. 11: Dorin Dickerson, TE, Pittsburgh
No. 12: Robert Sands, S, West Virginia
No. 13: B.J. Daniels, QB, South Florida
No. 14: Jason Pinkston, OT, Pittsburgh
No. 15: Tim Brown, WR, Rutgers
No. 16: Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut
No. 17: Arthur Jones, DT, Syracuse
No. 18: Lawrence Wilson, LB, Connecticut
No. 19: Tom Savage, QB, Rutgers
No. 20: Andre Dixon, RB, Connecticut
No. 21: Bill Stull, QB, Pittsburgh
No. 22: Nate Allen, S, South Florida
No. 23: Marcus Easley, WR, Connecticut
No. 24: Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers
No. 25: Jarrett Brown, QB, West Virginia
No. 26: George Selvie, DE, South Florida
No. 27: Kion Wilson, LB, South Florida
No. 28: Jabaal Sheard, DE, Pittsburgh
No. 29: Lindsey Witten, DE, Connecticut
No. 30: Jeff Linkenbach, OT, Cincinnati
Brian Bennett | email
College Football- ESPN.com Big Ten blogger
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008
- Wrote for The Courier-Journal
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Andrea Adelson
Adelson joined ESPN.com in 2010 after spending time as a college football columnist at The Orlando Sentinel. She has covered college football since her days as a University of Florida student, and lives in Orlando, Fla.
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