Greedy Williams' daughter Cloie falls asleep prior to the first round of the NFL Draft last Thursday. (Steve Helber, AP)

CLEVELAND, Ohio — By the time the first round of the NFL draft was over, Greedy Williams’ two-year old daughter Cloie had shed many of the red feathers on her dress, and was passed out on her mom’s shoulder in the green room in Nashville.

“There must have been hundreds of red feathers all over our area,’’ Williams’ agent, Jerome Stanley, said with a laugh. “It added to the surreal nature of the night.’’

Cloie wasn’t the only one dressed to the nines for the big event. Williams, who brought 30 family members and friends to Nashville, was decked out in a bright red suit, with a gold bow-tie and gold pocket square. His fiance, Taquanna Houston, wore a matching red dress, and Cloie, their little red robin, was the perfect accessory.

“It was like a prom,’’ said Stanley. “The guys were all in their best suits and the women looked beautiful.’’

Problem is, the band never played that night for Williams, who tumbled through the first round and left New York still waiting for his NFL call. On Friday, he was taken 46th overall to the Browns after being projected as a near-certain first-round talent.

“It was like a dream where you’re stuck in an elevator and you can’t get out,’’ said Stanley. “The doors open, the birds are singing, the sky is green and there’s talking fish. It was that kind of night. It was storming, but we weren’t getting wet. There were flat screen TVs everywhere, but they had no sound.’’

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All dressed up with no place to go

As the picks ticked off the board in 10-minute increments, Williams and 16 select of his group sat in the NFL's green room. Each player and his guests were seated in their own rectangular arrangement of sofas, their own draft night "living room." A chair in the middle was for the star of the show.

“Imagine 18 of those living rooms, that’s how big it was,’’ said Stanley. “What’s more, the TVs were on a seven-second delay, so we could hear the crowd cheering, but we had no idea what they were cheering about.’’

One by one, players jumped up from their chairs, answered their phones, broke down in tears and then made the long trek upstairs to the stage, where they were greeted by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Almost everyone except the cornerbacks, that is. As the night wore on, they were frozen in time. Selection 20, then 21 and 22 and still no cornerbacks off the board.

Still, Williams remained the coolest one in his makeshift living room.

“He was beautiful,’’ said Stanley. “He was calm. It never rattled him. He said ‘wherever I go, they’re going to get a hell of a player.’ He never wavered.’’

Finally, at No. 30, the Giants climbed up and grabbed cornerback Deandre Baker from Georgia.

“Until they took Baker, we were still expecting Greedy would go late (in the first round)," said Stanley. “Once they took Baker, I knew he only had a couple of shots and we had to start thinking about what to do next."

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Greedy Williams was all dressed but slipped out of Round 1. (Steve Helber, AP)

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No place like home

Stanley and Williams’ family sprang into action, planning a party for the next day for 150 people at a hotel in Williams’ hometown of Shreveport, La.

“We needed to get out of there,’’ said Stanley. “He didn’t bring two days of clothes. Everybody had flights back home on Friday, and we were going to leave like we were supposed to leave.’’

They shuffled out of the draft in slow motion, like the feathers floating from Cloie’s dress.

“Everybody was stunned,’’ said Stanley. “We were all kind of in a fog.’’

Stanley arrived in Shreveport ahead of the others on Friday afternoon, and began hanging up streamers and balloons in the party room.

“It was a total team effort,’’ he said.

Williams and his family members were due to land at about 4:45 p.m. CDT, only a little more than an hour before the start of the second round.

“We were worried the flight might be delayed and he’d be in the air when his name was called,’’ said Stanley.

At the airport, one person stayed behind to wait for the bags while Williams and his family piled into a truck and went straight to the draft party, arriving at about 5:15 p.m. This time, Williams was in a sweatsuit.

“He was in his own environment and everybody was so much more relaxed," said Stanley.

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Straight to voice mail

They were so relaxed, in fact, that Williams missed his call from the Browns after they traded up three spots with the Colts to grab him. Cloie was off playing with his regular cell phone, and he wasn’t paying attention to the “draft phone." Taquanna tapped Williams on the shoulder to let him know that he just missed a call from a 216 area code.

“I called back and it was one of the guys at the front desk,’’ Williams said on draft day, not knowing who he was calling. “He transferred me to the GM. The GM (John Dorsey) told me it was the Cleveland Browns. When he said that, a lot of emotion came."

The jam-packed room erupted and Cloie started crying. Williams held her tight and told her they finally made it, that they were going to Cleveland.

“When you look back on it, it was sweet, it was sincere and it was appropriate,’’ said Stanley. “He’s a family-oriented guy and he just wanted them to feel good about it.’’

Williams was so fired up — about joining his fellow LSU Tigers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry — that he predicted on his conference call with Cleveland media that the Browns will win the Super Bowl this year.

“I loved it,’’ said Stanley. “It was pure him. It wasn’t staged, it wasn’t suggested, that’s really how he felt from his heart. I’m sure his teammates think that too. He believes in himself and he believes in that team, and that’s why he said it."

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So, why did he fall?

“There was nothing that we accessed that told us he’d make it past 32," said Stanley. “Nothing.’’

The run on cornerbacks began at the top of Round 2, with the Cardinals picking Washington’s Byron Murphy right off the bat, and the Colts taking Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin next. By the 13th pick in the round, five corners were gone, including Vanderbilt’s Joejuan Williams to New England at No. 45. Dorsey pounced, giving up No. 144 in the fifth round to move up from No. 49 to 46 for Williams.

But the seventh cornerback off the board? For an LSU defensive back with blazing 4.37 speed that some observers had ranked top two or three in the class and regarded by many as the top cover corner in the draft?

“I’ve always thought (the second round) was what he was,’’ one personnel exec told cleveland.com. “Lack of physicality.’’

“I don’t think people in personnel departments were surprised he fell,’’ said another.

“I like his physical tools,’’ said one longtime NFL talent evaluator. “He’s long, fluid, and fast. What caused him to slip was the league seriously questioned his competitiveness and toughness. Football character concerns held him back.’’

Stanley maintains lack of need was the primary issue.

“It was a strange year in that teams at the top of the draft didn’t have a corner need," he said. “It was a defensive-line, tight-end heavy draft, so that was the first issue.

Greedy had no health issues, he had no character issues, and he’s an outstanding talent, but he was in a year where teams didn’t have those kind of needs.’’

Still, Stanley was surprised six cornerbacks went first, even with the tackling concerns.

“There were a few mistakes made by teams,’’ he said. “Some of the guys that were picked ahead of him, clearly were not better prospects than him, and that will bear out in a short period of time. Greedy is the best cornerback in the draft, and two years in a row, the Browns have picked the best cornerback in the draft."

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What about the lack of visits?

In early April, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that Williams hadn’t done any private visits or workouts for teams, which sent up a red flag.

Somehow, the report got twisted into the notion that Williams refused to participate in the individual sessions.

“That’s completely untrue,’’ said Stanley. “He had no requests for 30 visits. Why would he ever turn one down? Every time a team was asked, they were clear that they were complete in their evaluation of Greedy. They knew all they needed to know from the multiple interviews at the NFL combine. I was told repeatedly, ‘we don’t need anything else from him.’"

The Browns apparently didn’t spend much private time with him before the draft, not even speaking to his LSU defensive coordinator Dave Aranda, who interned under Browns linebackers coach Al Holcomb in Carolina, until after the draft.

“At least four teams came to LSU to meet with him and have dinner with him instead of a 30 visit,’’ said Stanley. “So teams did meet with him in a one-on-one setting in April.’’

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On skipping the Fiesta Bowl

There were whispers that the LSU coaches were miffed that Williams sat out the Fiesta Bowl, a 40-32 victory over UCF on Jan. 1st, and didn’t give NFL evaluators a glowing recommendation.

Not so, Aranda tells cleveland.com.

“Everybody I talked to, I told them that I loved Greedy and I’m a big fan of his,’’ said Aranda, who was with Williams in the green room in Nashville. “When it comes to the bowl games, it’s gotten to the point where it’s a personal decision. A lot of times it’s a family decision.

“I don’t feel like it’s in my or our wheelhouse to say, and so I respect it and I’ve always been a fan of Greedy and I always will be. Everyone I’ve talked to has been very positive of Greedy and wants what’s best for him and I’m very appreciative of everything he’s done for me and my family and for us.’’

There was also some thought that a low Wonderlic score may have hurt Williams, but Aranda raved about his football acumen.

“He’s a detailed, intense focused player,’’ Aranda said. “When Greedy’s at his best, he’s playing the game within the game. I can’t tell you how many times he comes off the sidelines after a series and he goes ‘coach, they’re trying to set this up,' or 'they tried to hit this but I took it away’ — and he’s right. So he sees the game that’s being played and it’s a big advantage to him.’’

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About the tackling issue

A ballhawking corner who snared eight picks in his two seasons as a starter, Williams was criticized by some for his inconsistent tackling. Specifically, some teams didn’t view him as either willing or able, which Aranda rejects. Instead, the coach takes the blame for the significant drop-off in Williams’ tackling at the end of the 2018 season.

“Greedy’s a good tackler and he’s shown that he can tackle, but towards the end of last year — particularly the end of the last couple of games — I wish he would’ve tackled better," Aranda said. “When he was here, we addressed that with him and we were working to improve that in the last couple of games and it’s probably something where I fell short as a coach in trying to motivate and push to get that done."

Aranda cited Williams’ outstanding game against Ole Miss receiver D.K. Metcalf, who’s 6-3, 228 and built like Mr. Universe. Williams had a career-high 10 tackles that day, including eight solo, and helped limit Metcalf to three catches for 37 yards and no TDs.

“Earlier in his career, and particularly earlier last year for Greedy, he tackled well and he’s shown the ability to put his face where the contact is happening and drive his legs and wrap up with his arms and all of it,’’ said Aranda. “He’s shown the ability to do that versus bigger guys, quicker guys and all of that. So I look at it as something where I could’ve coached better at the end and it’s a good lesson for me because I’m not going to let that happen again."

He said it’s not that LSU wanted him to avoid contact and protect himself.

“No, if we’ve got 11 guys on the field, we want them to tackle,’’ Aranda said. “So I think it’s just something where I could’ve helped get the message across better. It came up during the draft with the scouts. When I’m seeing that kind of stuff, I need to get on it right away and make a big point of it and not kind of just let it be an after-practice talk or a walk-off-the-field type of talk.’’

Aranda believes Williams can bulk up some from his 185 pounds, and the Browns will surely want him to. But not at the expense of his 4.37 speed in the 40.

“He’s always needed to,’’ said Aranda. “When we got him, he was like 160 pounds maybe. He’s bulked up some and I think he still can. He’s just a naturally lean guy and so I think some weight wouldn’t hurt him. But he’s tackled some big guys in his career here and got them on the ground and made some big stops for us just tackling-wise. So I don’t think that’s a big factor there.’’

Besides, as Dorsey noted after the pick, “corners are paid to cover.”

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Al Holcomb puts Dave Aranda on speaker

Right after the Browns traded up for Williams on Friday night, Aranda got a call from Holcomb, Cleveland's new linebackers coach.

“I did a minority internship with the Panthers in like 2015,’’ Aranda said. “(Browns defensive coordinator) Steve Wilks was on the staff and I worked specifically with Al, so he called and he got me on speaker phone with the defensive staff. We talked about Greedy and they’re all fired up. It’s exciting that I know he’s going to people that I know, and I respect so much.’’

Aranda shared with the staff what they’re getting in Williams.

“They’re going to love Greedy over there,’’ he said. “He’s long, he’s fast, he’s quick, he’s a very smart, instinctive player. Greedy is confident, and he’s got an alpha mentality. He’s a listener. He’s not really going to be a boisterous loud presence.’’

They’re also getting the best cover corner in the draft, in Aranda’s opinion.

“Oh yes, absolutely," he said. “In man-to-man, in press, he’s got a lot of skills, even off (press), he’s patient with his footwork, he trusts his speed. He can come out slow and allow the cushion to close. One of Greedy’s best traits is that he can play man with zone eyes. The great ones do it.’’

He cited a big play Williams made in a victory over Auburn.

“On the first series they hit us on a back-shoulder fade to Greedy’s guy,’’ said Aranda. “And I think the very next series, same position on the field, same receiver, same split and Greedy picked it because he was just waiting on it. He’s playing the game within the game and he’s got a poker face about it all, which I enjoy because he sets people up.’’

When Williams came in as a freshman under then-head coach Les Miles, Williams was always first in line to go against LSU’s top receivers.

“Les said ‘Dave, look at that, the guy’s an alpha,’" Aranda recalled. “He wants the best and you notice him right off the bat just from that type of mentality of ‘I’m coming to get you, what do you got?’ You love that about him, and that’s always been him.’’

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On Williams' tumble into The Land

Aranda talked to Williams in the green room as the first round wound down.

“It was just tough to see,’’ Aranda said. “The family was all really excited in the beginning and we all thought he'd go sooner. He obviously has the talent, and his play and his film all point to that he should’ve gone sooner.’’

But Williams arrives in The Land with fellow LSU Tigers Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, and could be paired in the defensive backfield with 2018 No. 4 pick Denzel Ward, who made the Pro Bowl as a rookie.

“Very cool,’’ said Aranda. “It’s exciting. The thing I appreciate about Greedy is that he pushes people to be better. When they see how hard he works, and they see what he does with film, and they see the work he does with his footwork, and his hand placement and his press — just the all-around part of him, they’ll recognize and appreciate it. People are going to be fans of his really quick."

Aranda wasn't able to attend the draft party in Shreveport because he had to get back out on the recruiting trail after Nashville. But he couldn’t have been happier.

“It’s going to make him stronger," he said. “This will light a fight under him and when Greedy gets to Cleveland, he’s going to have a chip on his shoulder. He’s going to be focused and even more determined, and he’s going to play lights out. I believe that 100%."

If he turns out the way most of Dorsey’s other top picks have, Williams will be another feather in the GM's cap.

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