By Steve Lansdale
AUSTIN, Texas — The ranks of Texas Longhorns in the National Football League grew by two Friday, when Connor Williams and linebacker were drafted.
Williams was chosen by the Dallas Cowboys with the 18th pick in the second round; Jefferson was snatched up by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 14th pick in the third round, the 78th overall selection.
Williams has been a fixture at left tackle for the Longhorns, earning first-team All-America honors in 2016, but Dallas head coach Jason Garrett said [s2If current_user_can(access_s2member_level2)]it is very possible Williams will be asked to slide inside to guard at the next level.
“A lot of people saw him as someone who could play all five spots on the offensive line,” Garrett said. “We see him more as an interior guy. His length isn’t ideal — he has 33-inch arms, which is not ideal for the tackle spot, but we have scouts and personnel people who are convicted that he can play outside as well. He has that versatility, and like you said it is on tape. We think he sets up perfectly as an interior guy, and again, bring him in and compete for one of those spots.”
His selection by the Cowboys is the ultimate homecoming for Williams, who grew up in Coppell, the Dallas suburb in which the Cowboys had their offices and training facility until a couple of years ago.
“It’s the Dallas Cowboys — it’s ‘America’s Team,’” Williams said. “I live 20 minutes down the road. It’s home. To be on the phone and see my 972 area code calling, it was a dream come true.
“I honestly wore blue (to the draft) because I’m from Dallas and I love Dallas. I wanted to represent the Cowboys. I didn’t say it, but I wanted to be a Cowboy. It was all worth it, and I’m happy.”
Texas head coach Tom Herman said Williams has the attributes needed for a lengthy run in the NFL.
“Connor has all the tools you’re looking for in a great NFL offensive lineman and we’re thrilled to see him drafted by the Cowboys,” Texas head coach Tom Herman said. “He’s a big, physical and aggressive player who was a tight end in high school, so he’s tremendously athletic too. I think he’ll do great things at the next level and play for a long time. We’ll certainly be watching and pulling for him, and it’s so exciting that it’s right up the road. Dallas added a very talented player to their roster today.”
Jefferson becomes first UT linebacker to be drafted since Jordan Hicks was chosen by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015, also in the third round.
“Malik is a guy who not only has all of the skill and athletic ability you’re looking for in a great linebacker, but he’s a tremendous leader,” Herman said. “Cincinnati got both a great player and an unbelievable person who will be a star on the field and a pillar in the community. I’m so happy for him and his family, and really excited to watch him continue to grow and develop as a player.”
Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis said one of the things that drew him to Jefferson was the former UT star’s pure speed and athleticism.
“Malik Jefferson is a fine in-line linebacker who has great athleticism and is quick off the mark,” Lewis said. “That’s the thing you like about him. He possesses the tools to be a fine linebacker as he continues to grow and develop as a man. The one thing we can’t coach is running speed, and he has that. He really does a great job and he is smart, so he will need to transfer that, continue to learn and make productive plays in the NFL.”
Prior to the draft, there was some speculation about whether Jefferson projected as an inside or outside linebacker linebacker at the professional level. Jefferson said he wants to get to the point where he could play any linebacker spot.
“I’m natural outside,” he said. “I think, 100 percent, getting the inside position down is very important to me. I take a lot of pride in what I do, and that’s one thing I’m going to be focused on moving forward.”
“He can play all three linebacker spots,” Lewis said. “I went to the University of Texas this year and talked with the coaches. I also went and spoke at their clinics. He was one of the first guys that I was asked to take a look at by (Bengals defensive quality control/linebackers coach) Marcus Lewis when he and (Bengals linebackers coach) Jim Haslett started looking at linebackers. I had seen him prior to us going to Indianapolis (for the combine), which normally I don’t see a whole lot of players prior to that.
“Malik Jefferson is one of the guys I saw, and I feel good about him. I could see his progression from when they opened the season vs. Southern California to how he played against Oklahoma and Oklahoma State later in the season. They saw him grow as a player and he started to get it. Now we have to get him to really get it, because he has all of the athleticism we can’t coach him to do.”
Williams and Jefferson raise the number of UT players drafted by NFL teams to 338, the 11th-highest total of any school in the country.
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