C, Edwin Williams, Maryland

by Jeremy Bolander on Mar 29, 2009 10:47 PM MDT in 2009 NFL Draft - Denver Broncos

C, Edwin Williams, Maryland

At A Glance
Position 1: Center	Height: 6-2
Position 2: Guard	Weight: 308
Class: Senior	Age:
Projected Round: 6th	40time: 5.40

Combine/Proday Results
Bench Reps: 22	Vertical: 28.5
20yd Split: 3.09	Broad Jump: 8'3"
10yd Split: 1.81	20yd Shuttle: 4.98
3 Cone Drill: 8.15

Pros: Durable, high-effort center. Good initial quickness off the snap. Good hand placement

Cons: Relies on his initial foot quickness to turn defenders in the running game, but struggles to sustain.

Styg's Broncos Fit: The overall world-class depth of this year's center class is driving down the value of good players like Williams. Because he isn't the tremendous athlete of the top of the class, teams can expect to start bidding for his services later in the second day, and they may just get a steal. Williams had the admiration of his teammates and coaches for his leadership both on and off the field, and he could be counted on to disrupt surprise-blitzers and to call the exotic defensive plays correctly for his team. Adequate strength and speed, with excellent short-area quickness and a great explosion off the snap, he can be beaten by quicker defenders consistently, and struggles to maintain longer blocks on the stronger players. Overall a solid player with limited upside but who could provide dependable depth for years.

Around MHR:

Around SBNation:

From "Steel100's Mock Draft" at Behind the Steel Curtain:

seems to have the size and weight to compete with the shaun rogers and haloti ngatas of the division, and still has the quickness to be a factor in the passing game, with a good ability to reach the next level, which is key, where 2/3rd of the division plays a 3-4 defense. Shows to have a higher preference for snapping out of the shotgun, and what really wows me is his leadership abilities. Pittsburgh has a knack for finding centers with a great work ethic and absolute leader abilities, and hes shown that he has the character and the leadership to be that guy. the only thing i worry about is his height and strength. there may be a tendency to bet bowled over by a good bull rusher, so i hope our olineman coach will get him accustomed to adjusting to using his frontline speed, and not being a phonebooth blocker (quick in the box for anybody wondering what that means)