Elijah Williams is used to being overlooked on the football field. But rather than complain about it, the Jersey City native simply let the film do the talking for him. That film has delivered a message loud enough that even NFL scouts have been left with no choice but to take notice of the one-time unranked prospect who became one of college football’s better defensive linemen.
This season, Williams had 11 sacks and 54 tackles, 15 of them for a loss, and 32 solo. Those numbers earned Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and a finalist berth for the Buck Buchanan Award, which goes to the best player in Division 1 FCS football. Williams was also voted fourth in the country for the inaugural HBCU+ National Player of the Year voting for the best player at an HBCU school.
Now, for the 6-foot-3, 280-pound Williams, it’s about getting ready for the NFL Draft. While he was selected to play in the HBCU Legacy Bowl in New Orleans on Feb. 22, Williams was not invited to the Senior Bowl or the East-West Shrine Game.
“I understand if I don’t get one, it’s nothing new to me,” Williams said. “I was in my senior year (at Lincoln) I didn’t get offers. So it’s like I’ve always been in a predicament where people don’t necessarily recognize all my abilities, which is OK.
Other people may look a little different, they may look the part, but I feel as though my film will always speak for itself and I’m just going to continue to work on that and impr.
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