Williams signs with Minnesota Vikings
Lead Summary
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
A former South Central Ohio League football player has signed with an NFL team.
Nathan Williams, a former standout at Miami Trace, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, following the conclusion of the three-day draft.
Williams played college football at Ohio State, as the defensive end/outside linebacker was a part of the 12-0 Buckeye team this past fall.
The MT grad, Williams (6-3, 249) spent five seasons with the Buckeyes, lettering four times as he had a season-ending injury during the '11 season.
As a senior at OSU, Williams started eight games with 40 tackles, with 3.5 for loss.
Williams tweeted Saturday evening, "Thank you Minnesota!!! Can't wait to be a Viking!!!"
He later tweeted: "I don't tweet very much, but I have to say that I cannot even explain how excited I am to be apart of the Vikings organization. So thankful."
At Miami Trace, Williams was an All-Ohio player who was named Division III SE District Player of the Year as a junior and senior for the Panthers.
[[In-content Ad]]
He was a part of a South Central Ohio League championship team his senior season as he recorded 139 tackles, including 15 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. Also at MT, he was a running back, tallying 524 yards and 10 touchdowns as he was honored three times each as a All-SCOL, All-SE District and All-Ohio player.
At Ohio State, Williams started 20 games, playing in 45 games from 2008-12. In his OSU career, he totaled 132 tackles, (66 unassisted) with 25 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
Williams graduated from OSU in '12.
At the NFL Combine in March, Williams ran the 40-yard dash in 4.88 seconds, and was the top performer in the three cone drill with a time of 6.99. He bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times.
The Vikings, who play in the NFC North, made the playoffs last season as a wildcard team with an overall record of 10-6. The Vikings also signed Darius Eubanks (free safety, Georgia Southern), Erik Highsmith (wide receiver, North Carolina) and Zach Line (fullback, SMU) as undrafted free agents.
In the '13 draft, the Vikings selected Sharrif Floyd (defensive tackle, Florida), Xavier Rhodes (corner back, Florida State), Cordarrelle Patterson (wide receiver, Tennessee), Gerald Hodges (linebacker, Penn State), Jeff Locke (punter, UCLA), Jeff Vaca (offensive guard, UCLA), Michael Mauti (linebacker, Penn State), Travis Bond (offensive guard, North Carolina) and Everett Dawkins (defensive tackle, Florida State).
Nathan Williams, a former standout at Miami Trace, signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday, following the conclusion of the three-day draft.
Williams played college football at Ohio State, as the defensive end/outside linebacker was a part of the 12-0 Buckeye team this past fall.
The MT grad, Williams (6-3, 249) spent five seasons with the Buckeyes, lettering four times as he had a season-ending injury during the '11 season.
As a senior at OSU, Williams started eight games with 40 tackles, with 3.5 for loss.
Williams tweeted Saturday evening, "Thank you Minnesota!!! Can't wait to be a Viking!!!"
He later tweeted: "I don't tweet very much, but I have to say that I cannot even explain how excited I am to be apart of the Vikings organization. So thankful."
At Miami Trace, Williams was an All-Ohio player who was named Division III SE District Player of the Year as a junior and senior for the Panthers.
[[In-content Ad]]
He was a part of a South Central Ohio League championship team his senior season as he recorded 139 tackles, including 15 tackles-for-loss and five sacks. Also at MT, he was a running back, tallying 524 yards and 10 touchdowns as he was honored three times each as a All-SCOL, All-SE District and All-Ohio player.
At Ohio State, Williams started 20 games, playing in 45 games from 2008-12. In his OSU career, he totaled 132 tackles, (66 unassisted) with 25 tackles for loss and 12 sacks.
Williams graduated from OSU in '12.
At the NFL Combine in March, Williams ran the 40-yard dash in 4.88 seconds, and was the top performer in the three cone drill with a time of 6.99. He bench pressed 225 pounds 24 times.
The Vikings, who play in the NFC North, made the playoffs last season as a wildcard team with an overall record of 10-6. The Vikings also signed Darius Eubanks (free safety, Georgia Southern), Erik Highsmith (wide receiver, North Carolina) and Zach Line (fullback, SMU) as undrafted free agents.
In the '13 draft, the Vikings selected Sharrif Floyd (defensive tackle, Florida), Xavier Rhodes (corner back, Florida State), Cordarrelle Patterson (wide receiver, Tennessee), Gerald Hodges (linebacker, Penn State), Jeff Locke (punter, UCLA), Jeff Vaca (offensive guard, UCLA), Michael Mauti (linebacker, Penn State), Travis Bond (offensive guard, North Carolina) and Everett Dawkins (defensive tackle, Florida State).