Kent Somers

azcentral sports

With no second-round pick, the Cardinals knew they had to be prepared for considerable down time on the second day of the draft on Friday.

“The good news is we had some healthy snacks up there,” said General Manager Steve Keim.

Something called “cucumber sticks” left coach Bruce Arians with the hate shivers, but the Cardinals were smiling at the end of the night after selecting Texas A&M cornerback Brandon Williams in the third round at No. 92 overall.

As a defensive player, Williams is raw. He converted from running back to cornerback just last summer as he entered his fifth year of eligibility.

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Williams is 6-feet and 200 pounds and runs the 40-yard dash in under 4.4 seconds. Just as important as those numbers, the Cardinals said, is something that can’t be measured: Williams’ passion for football.

“There’s no question he was the team leader,” Keim said, “the guy who was the vocal catalyst for Texas A&M this year, a guy who has loads of upside, a guy who fits our scheme perfectly.”

The Cardinals traded their second round pick to the Patriots for Chandler Jones last month, and Keim and Arians have made it clear they consider Jones part of the 2016 draft class.

That’s why they didn’t mind waiting so long to pick on Friday.

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In his opening remarks to reporters Friday evening, Keim said, “Coach and I and Michael (Bidwill) have probably never been so excited about a second-round pick, a Pro Bowler with 12 ½ sacks.

“That started the day off with a bang from there, and I’m really, really excited about our cornerback."

Given his recent conversion to defense – he never played it, even in high school – Williams was surprised to be drafted so early.

In fact, he was in the Texas A&M locker room watching the draft after a workout when the Cardinals called.

“I don’t have cable at my apartment,” he said, “but we do in the locker room, so I decided to watch it there.”

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Williams brings a unique story to Arizona. He was rated as one the nation’s top running backs coming out of high school in Brookshire, Texas. He signed with Oklahoma and played in eight games as a freshman.

He transferred to Texas A&M to be closer to family and was part of a running back rotation as a sophomore and junior.

Last spring, new Texas A&M defensive coordinator John Chavis approached Williams about moving to cornerback, but other coaches, presumably head coach Kevin Sumlin, weren’t ready to sign off on it, Williams said.

By summertime, they were, and Williams was willing to switch.

“The only words I heard were ‘competing to start,’” Williams said. “At running back, we were running-back-by-committee. I wanted to start, have an impact on the team somewhere, somehow, at running back, receiver, quarterback, wherever, it didn’t matter.”

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The transition wasn’t easy, and it’s far from complete. Williams had never backpedaled on the field before, never had to run full speed with a receiver then suddenly stop to defend a pass.

He didn’t have an interception, but the Cardinals and other NFL teams saw plenty of potential.

“The thing he does best is play press man-to-man,” Arians said. “But he’s going to be an immediate impact player on special teams. (He was) one of the best special teams players in the country.”

The Cardinals relied heavily upon the opinion of Chavis, who Arians said is one of the best defensive coaches in the country. Chavis came to A&M from LSU, where he coached current Cardinals defensive backs Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu.

“He’s had a lot of corners play (in the NFL) and he ranked (Williams) with some of the best he’s ever coached,” Arians said.

One of the Cardinals’ goals this offseason was to upgrade their coverage on special teams. While Keim and Arians have successfully integrated several veterans into specialty roles over the last three years, many of those players could not contribute on special teams.

“I think we’ve put some of our special teams and cover units on the back burner, which has affected us,” Keim said.

The Cardinals needed to bolster the cornerback position in the draft, and Arians didn’t rule out Williams contributing on defense this season.

Williams should be able to play man-to-man press coverage immediately as he learns the other nuances of the position, Arians said.

“He’s one of those guys, all he knows is to work,” Keim said.

Players taken in the third round and late have “holes” in their game, said Keim, so he emphasizes to scouts to find things players can do.

“You’ve got to find something that you’re going to hang your hat on, to get excited about,” Keim said. “Why is that guy going to make contributions? Why is he going to make your football team?

“In this instance, he’s a little raw, but the physical tools are off the charts and the passion and the love for the game is off the charts. If I’m betting on one, this is the guy I’m getting excited about.”

The Cardinals will look for more of those players on Saturday, the final day of the draft. They have four more picks: one each in the fourth and sixth rounds and two in the fifth. They have no seventh-round selection.

Player bio

Brandon Williams

Age: 23

Hometown: Brookshire, Texas

Height/weight: 6-0, 200

College: Texas A&M

Position: Cornerback