FOXBORO, Mass. — Even with his first NFL game still months away, New England Patriots draft pick Joejuan Williams already has his post-career plans mapped out.
After he hangs up his cleats, the Vanderbilt product said Friday night, he plans to enter the coaching ranks. And that ambition is serving him well in the meantime.
Williams, a 6-foot-4 cornerback who racked up an SEC-high 18 passes defended and four interceptions last season, devours game tape, comparing his habits in the film room to the way most of the country consumes a certain wildly popular HBO series.
“I want to be a coach after this game is over with,” Williams said after the Patriots traded up Friday to select him with the 45th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. “So this is just helping me get to that level before I become, like, a (graduate assistant) or an intern, so I don’t have to cram for everything.
“Football’s something I love doing. I’ve been doing it since I was 5. I watch film like I watch ‘Game of Thrones’ or something, man. But that’s just who I am. Football runs in my blood, and that’s definitely how I work.”
During his three years at Vanderbilt, Williams would analyze each week’s opponent and send a detailed writeup to the Commodores’ defensive backs group chat. And his film work wasn’t limited to college receivers. He also closely studied All-Pros Jalen Ramsey and Richard Sherman — two taller corners known for their physical play.
“Those are the two I like to study a lot,” he said. “They have the same traits that I do. But at the end of the day, I want to find what’s best for me. But those are two guys that I look up to.”
Williams plans to take additional cues from the Patriots’ own All-Pro corner, Stephon Gilmore, who established himself as one of the NFL’s elite cover men in 2018.
“Man, I plan on picking his brain,” Williams said. “Whatever I can get from him, I plan on picking it. At the end of the day, he’s one of the best in the league, and I want to be one of the best in the league, and that’s something I have to learn from the greats. Whatever he does — eating, sleeping, nutrition, treatment — I want to pick from him and try to get that off his game. From playbook to life — that’s something I want to learn, because I want to be one of the greats, just like him.”
Gilmore led a talented New England cornerback group that also features J.C. Jackson, Jason McCourty, Jonathan Jones, Keion Crossen and Duke Dawson — all of whom are set to return this season.
