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OSU’s Rodarius Williams set to follow younger brother to the NFL

By John Scimeca

LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 30: Derrick Willies #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is unable to make the catch against the defense of Rodarius Williams #8 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first half of the game on September 30, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images)
LUBBOCK, TX - SEPTEMBER 30: Derrick Willies #11 of the Texas Tech Red Raiders is unable to make the catch against the defense of Rodarius Williams #8 of the Oklahoma State Cowboys during the first half of the game on September 30, 2017 at Jones AT&T Stadium in Lubbock, Texas. (Photo by John Weast/Getty Images) /
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A unique situation will play out for Oklahoma State cornerback Rodarius Williams during this month’s NFL Draft. He will follow his brother’s footsteps to the NFL — not his older brother, but his younger brother. His little brother, in fact, has played professional football for two years while Rodarius completed his college career in Stillwater.

Former LSU star Andraez “Greedy” Williams attended the same high school, Calvary Baptist Academy, as Rodarius in Shreveport, La. Former Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson also attended this school. The two brothers are separated by 16 months.

Oklahoma State cornerback Rodarius Williams is set to follow the NFL path of his younger brother, Greedy Williams of the Browns, in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Greedy’s time at LSU was brief; he redshirted his first year in Baton Rouge and declared for the NFL Draft after his sophomore season. He had an electrifying 2017 season as a first-year player, becoming only the second LSU freshman to win SEC first-team honors since 1986. After the Browns drafted him in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the younger Williams brother started 12 games as a rookie before an offseason shoulder injury sidelined him for the entire 2020 campaign.

As the older Williams brother who committed to playing football at Oklahoma State, Rodarius immediately impressed as a Cowboy since stepping foot on campus. He started right away as a freshman and became a leader in the OSU secondary in passes defended and, in his sophomore season, interceptions. His 10 pass breakups as a freshman were the most for an OSU freshman since Chris Rockins in 1980.

Many teams started throwing away from Williams in his junior and senior seasons in Stillwater. But more importantly, Williams was a key part of the OSU defensive improvement that allowed the Cowboys to win several games after the offense struggled. In both 2019 and 2020, the Cowboys defense improved in terms of yards allowed and points allowed.

Last year, in fact, the Cowboys ranked third-best among all Big 12 teams in points allowed (23.5) and held opposing teams to under 380 yards per game, which is no small feat in the pass-happy conference with explosive offenses.

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Williams appeals to NFL scouts as a cornerback with good size, physicality, and experience. He was named as a second team All-Big 12 performer and accepted an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl after the 2020 season.

Look for Williams to go in the fourth round to a team looking for a long, athletic cornerback to shore up its secondary. Teams like the Falcons or the Seahawks, who struggled mightily in pass defense in 2020, or the Patriots, who face a contract year with Stephon Gilmore, are prime candidates to draft Williams in the 2021 NFL Draft.

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