New York City — Missouri Southern senior defensive lineman Brandon Williams has realized a dream and has been taken by the Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens in the third round, the 94th overall pick, of the 2013 NFL Draft.
Williams becomes the highest-ever drafted player from Missouri Southern surpassing the previous high of the fourth-round that Allen Barbre had in 2007 when he was selected by the Green Bay Packers.
He joins Barbre, Richard Jordan (1997) and Jim Hoots (1971) both of whom went in the seventh round, as the only players to be drafted from the school. Both Barbre (Philladelphia Eagles) and Williams now represent Southern as Lions currently in the NFL.
Williams was a consensus All-American this season, and was named the Division II National Defensive Player of the Year by two different organizations. He was picked as an All-American by five different publications and became just the third Division II player in the history of the sport to be named an All-American in three different seasons.
He was a first-team All-MIAA selection and was the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year, while also being named the Daktronics Region Defensive Player of the Year.
Williams became the all-time sacks leader for the school and finished with 27 in his career at Missouri Southern. He had at least a half sack in all but three games this year and had a tackle for a loss in all but one game. He finished the season second on the team with 68 tackles, 31 solo, including 16.5 for a loss of 58 yards. He had 8.5 sacks for a loss of 39 yards, two pass break ups, eight quarterback hurries, five forced fumbles and one safety on the season and finished third in the MIAA in sacks and tackles for a loss, while ranking second in forced fumbles.
Williams went on to participate in the Senior Bowl this season in Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala. and also participated in the NFL’s Scouting Combine.
Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta said Williams looks like a legitimate 3-4 nose tackle. Director of college scouting Joe Hortiz called Williams “a fire plug” because of his stocky build and how tough he is to budge as an anchor in the middle.
“He dominated the small-school level. There’s no doubt about that,” DeCosta said of Williams Friday. “When you’re looking at a small-school prospect, that’s one thing you want to see is a guy that dominates, and he did that. …
“But I think the biggest thing is that he went to the Senior Bowl and really played well. He had a really strong week of practice against Division I players, more experienced guys, and he looked like a legitimate 3-4 nose tackle.”
He will report Sunday to Baltimore to meet with team personnel.