Coming out of Cox High School in Virginia Beach, former Virginia Tech defensive lineman Jordan Williams always envisioned himself playing at the next level.
After a three-year stint suiting up for Clemson in Upstate South Carolina, Williams decided to return home to Blacksburg to finish out his collegiate career. And in turn, took that next step forward towards fulfilling a lifelong dream.
After the Hokies' 2022 Pro Day came to a close on Tuesday afternoon, Williams spoke to the media about what his future may hold. All while giving just a tad bit of a glimpse into a day that can make or break the future of a potential NFL draftee.
Q: How’d you feel like you did today?
A: I felt like I did really well. You know, I’ve been training for three months down in Florida, so just been preparing for this moment and I felt like I did what I was coming out here to do.
Q: What did you want to show them [NFL Scouts]?
A: I wanted to show them my explosiveness. The type of athlete I am. My ability to bend at being 6-foot-5, 290 [pounds]. I wanted to be able to show them that I’m an athlete, you know what I mean? I feel like that’s something that a lot of big guys can’t really display just because of their size. I just wanted to show who I am and I’m an athlete for sure.
Q: Do you feel like you had something extra today after you didn’t get the combine invite? Is this the opportunity you were looking for?
A: This was definitely the opportunity that I was looking for. You know, I didn’t get the combine invite, but I didn’t really sulk about it. I just knew I had another day to really be able to come out and showcase my abilities and my talents in front of all the coaches.
Q: What have you been able to accomplish training wise? Body wise do you feel as good as you’d like to?
A: Yeah, I mean training wise when I was down in Florida I felt like I was at my best physical shape. My body felt the best it's felt since I’ve been in college. I was just training every day, recovering, eating right, watching what I put in my body and I felt like all those things really helped me perform better today, you know what I mean?
Q: Is there a target weight you’re trying to get to for this?
A: I wouldn’t say there’s a target weight. I would like to stay around that 290 [pounds] to 300 range. I weighed in at 292 [pounds] today, I want to say. So I mean, I’m right where I want to be at.
Q: Any event or lift that you were particularly pleased with today?
A: I was pretty pleased with my vertical. I think I got a 31.5 [inches]. That’s kind of impressive. 290 [pounds] getting up there. Makes me wonder if I can still dunk a basketball, you know what I mean? Yeah but definitely my vertical I was thoroughly impressed with and my [40-yard dash] as well. I haven’t gotten my official time yet. But the range of times that I was in I’m definitely happy with.
Q: Can you just describe what this Pro Day experience is like? Guys are out there noting everything you do and you have to perform.
A: I mean ultimately, it’s just a blessing to be in this position. Just to be able to come out here and work out in front of all these scouts at my school. It’s definitely something that’s special to be a part of and I’m glad I was able to do it with my brothers one last time.
Q: You said you’ve been training for the last few months. Can you just describe what that process has been like?
A: It’s different. You know, you’re used to coming out and practicing every day of the week. Training wise, it’s not really similar to the weight room things that we do in college, it’s more so technique. It’s more so just the little things like working on your body, stuff that you may not have known. So it’s definitely a different experience but it was fun. It was a great time, a great experience, just glad I was able to do it.
Q: Is there anything specific that you tried to work on since the season ended?
A: Definitely. I’d definitely say my explosiveness and my running style. When you’re running a [40-yard dash] there’s like a technique to it. When you see those track sprinters, there’s technique to it, there’s repetition to it. For me, that’s something that I had never, you know I’m 300 pounds, I’m not used to going out there and getting in a track stance and running. For me that was something that I constantly worked on day in and day out and that was something that I kind of wanted to get better at before Pro Day and I felt like I did exactly what I was looking to do.
Q: How often does a defensive lineman run 40 yards in a straight line?
A: Right? It’s not very frequent at all, you know what I mean? But that’s something they [NFL Scouts] want to see. They definitely look at the 10- to 20-yard splits as well. But 40 yards, it’s hard to see a big guy running that far.
