The Leading Authority of the NFL Draft

SCOUT'S TAKE

Skinny: Williams was pressed into action quickly when Brandon Braxton broke his leg and he earned second team Freshman All-America honors for his efforts. He saw playing time in every game in 2007 but this season Williams has put his name on the map with his play. Last season Williams was voted All-Big 12 first team by the coaches, and honorable mention by the AP. He started all 14 games, the first at left tackle and the remaining 13 at right tackle (2009 second round pick Phil Loadholt played the remaining games at left tackle). Williams is a very good athlete who has good size and strength. He has good feet, is agile for a big man, and plays with good pad level. What NFL scouts want to see out of Williams is consistency in both his run and pass blocking. If he can do that he will be a first day pick in next year’s draft.

Pros: Williams is a versatile player on the offensive line, able to play both the left and right tackle positions. He is strong and has fast feet, which makes him hard to beat around the outside. He started all 14 games in 2008, recording 131 knockdowns, 18 of which came against Florida in the National Championship game. In 2006, he registered 75 knockdowns while making six starts. He should be the anchor of the O-line in 2009. He shows great strength and physicality in both the pass and running games and was voted a 2008 All-Big 12 player by the coaches. If he is as dominating next year, he could beat out Ciron Black or Russell Okung for All- American honors. He has elite potential, but must be more impressive than Duke Robinson and Phil Loadholt were in their final college seasons and at the NFL Scouting Combine to land in the first round.

Cons: NFL scouts and coaches are beginning to wonder if OU linemen are really that talented, or if they just benefit from playing in the spread offense against lesser competition (read defenses) than the SEC. Williams will have to dominate the opposing team each and every week, and follow a great season up with an impressive combine to earn a first round grade. He is also unproven as a left tackle, which he will man this season with Loadholt off the NFL.

Our View: Williams can definitely improve his draft stock by performing at left tackle. He undoubtedly has the quick feet and overall agility to shift over. His technique in the ability to maintain his leverage is also mighty impressive. This guy is one heck of a run blocker. His pass blocking on the blind side will most likely determine how high he goes in the draft.

NEWS

12.22.09 - Oklahoma OT Trent Williams, a potential top 10-20 prospect for the 2010 draft, will get a chance to show off his versatility when the Sooners play Stanford in the Sun Bowl on New Year’s eve as he is expected to start at C because of injuries along the offensive line. The 6-foot-5, 320-pound Williams, a consensus All-American LT, has never played C in a game, although he has practiced there some throughout the season for an emergency situation. Williams could improve his stock with teams looking to draft linemen with the flexibility to play multiple positions upfront.

11.28.09 - Oklahoma City television station KFOR reported Friday night that OU offensive lineman Trent Williams sustained a concussion in practice and will miss Saturday's season finale against Oklahoma State. Team sources did not return text messages seeking confirmation, but multiple Web sites, citing team sources, reported that Williams' absence from the 11:30 a.m. game was only a possibility and that Williams would be examined further before the game. – Tulsa World

03.03.09 - Oklahoma linemen Gerald McCoy (DT) and Trent Williams (OT) were named to the Lombardi Award's preliminary 2009 watch list. The pair of Sooners are joined by six other Big 12 stars, including Brandon Carter (Texas Tech), Sergio Kindle (Texas), Russell Okung (Oklahoma State), Joe Pawelek (Baylor), Adam Ulatoski (Texas), and Sean Weatherspoon (Missouri).

01.14.09 - In addition to Sam Bradford's announcement today that he plans to remain at Oklahoma, two other Sooners also announced that they plan to play for the Sooners next year. Both tight end Jermaine Gresham and Trent Williams said they will return for the 2009 season. Williams started the season opener at left tackle then started the remaining 13 games at right tackle. He will be the only full-time starter returning along the OU offensive line. "I feel like I can improve my draft status by staying one more year," Williams said. "I am also going to moving a lot farther along with my degree and I feel like we can compete for more championships." It was former Sooner and current Washington Redskins wide receiver Malcolm Kelly — Williams’ high school teammate at Longview and college roommate at OU — who helped convince Williams to stay, according to a source close to both Kelly and Williams. "Trent would change his mind every 10 minutes. He didn’t know what he was going to do,” the source said. "But Malcolm encouraged him to come back. Trent really trusts Malcolm, and that made a huge difference.”

01.10.09 - He was a First Team All-Big 12 selection and viewed by some as possibly the best of an Oklahoma offensive line loaded with talent. Williams would be among the top five at the position if he left early, but the odds are he will stay for his senior season.

VITALS

Medical Examiner: Williams did tweak an ankle early in the season but obviously it didn't slow him up any.

Honor Roll: Williams was named first team All-Big 12 by the coaches, second-team by several newspapers, and honorable mention by the Associated Press in 2008. In 2006, he was named to The Sporting News’ Freshman All-America second team.

High School: Williams attended Longview High School in Texas where he was a unanimous first team All-District, first team All-East Texas, and second team Texas All-State as a senior. He was also named second team All-District 12-5A as a junior.

Personal: Williams is majoring in sociology.

Bio

Photo Credit: OU Athletics Department