Unpacking Future Packers: No. 12, California CB Nohl Williams
The Green Bay Packers have had a lot of moving parts at the cornerback position this offseason. They've lost Eric Stokes, Corey Ballentine and Robert Rochell in free agency and inked Nate Hobbs to a four-year deal.
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The biggest domino that has yet to fall is the status of Jaire Alexander. Brian Gutekunst continues to comb the trade market for a potential deal and if they can't find a dance partner, the Packers could release him, or maybe there's a universe in which he's still on the roster when the Packers open the 2025 season.
The mini remodel of the cornerback room inside 1265 Lombardi Avenue will continue during the 2025 NFL Draft, where it's likely that Gutekunst uses a pair of picks on the position.
A potential target on Day 2 of the draft is Nohl Williams. The California Golden Bear cornerback checks in at No. 12 in the Unpacking Future Packers Countdown.
A three-star recruit out of California, Williams started his collegiate career at UNLV. During his three seasons at UNLV, Williams recorded five interceptions and 10 pass deflections.
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Williams transferred to California for the 2023 season and recorded 53 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions and six pass deflections.
This past season Williams recorded 52 tackles, one tackle for loss, nine pass deflections and an FBS-leading seven interceptions.
"Nohl was the anchor of the Cal defense," Jim McGill, the editor for Bear Insider, said. "He had a solid junior season but took it to a different level last season."
Williams is solidly built for the position. A high school wide receiver, Williams has natural ball skills and is opportunistic in coverage. His instincts and outstanding field vision put him in a position to make plays on the ball. He has disciplined eyes and processes route concepts quickly. Combine his instincts with his explosive trigger and you get a player who led the FBS in interceptions this past season and finished his career with 14 interceptions. The UNLV transfer does a nice job of using his length to play through the hands of the receiver.
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"HIs confidence in his ability to be both physical and fast enough to stay with his man had Nohl in position to make plays all season," McGill said. "It was very difficult for receivers to get past him, and he played the ball like a receiver when it was in the air."
William is smooth in his pedal and has good foot agility. While he's not an explosive athlete, he has good change-of-direction skills and is able to run routes for wide receivers. He's subtle in using his hands and is able to redirect receivers.
Williams is a willing downfield tackler and doesn't shy away from contact. Missed tacklers were a rare sight in 2024. He does a nice job of tackling in the open field and getting his man to the ground to limit YAC. After missing 14 tackles during his first season as a Golden Bear, Williams missed just three tackles in 2024. During his time at UNLV he was tagged with 17 missed tackles in three seasons.
"Nohl was fourth on the team in tackles, which is fairly unusual for a cornerback, especially in Cal's system, where middle linebackers and safeties tend to make the most tackles,," McGill said. "He's towards the upper end of physical corners with good ball skills."
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Williams brings special teams value as a return specialist. He returned 27 kickoffs and returned one for a touchdown and averaged 24.1 yards per return. He also returned 11 punts during his career and averaged 6.7 yards per return. On top of that, he logged 617 snaps on special teams and recorded four tackles.
Fit with the Packers
The Packers have a lot of cornerbacks and that can play on the boundary and in the slot. Williams only logged 101 snaps in the slot during his collegiate career and would give the Packers a bonafide boundary cornerback who could challenge for reps as a rookie.
Gutekunst spoke at the NFL Scouting Combine about how Jeff Hafley's defense may require cornerbacks who are instincitive and have good field vision. From Gutekunst:
'I do think with what Jeff's trying to do, there's a lot more vision and awareness and instincts out there than maybe we've played with in the past."
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Williams is an instinctive cornerback with a knack for making splash plays. He's always in the right place at the right time and gives up little separation in coverage. He checks the boxes for what Gutekunst described in the aforementioned quote.
Hafley emphasizes taking the ball away and only one cornerback in this draft class (Quincy Riley) took the ball away more than Williams. With his frame, instincts and ball skills, Williams could be high on Green Bay's board when Day 2 of the draft kicks off on April 25.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Unpacking Future Packers: No. 12, California CB Nohl Williams
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