NFL Exec Compares Patriots’ Joejuan Williams To Ex-New England Standout
The New England Patriots clearly had eyes for Joejuan Williams.
There was some debate as to whether Bill Belichick would consider selecting the Vanderbilt cornerback with the No. 32 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. He didn’t, instead opting to add Arizona State wide receiver N’Keal Harry with New England’s first-round selection, but the Patriots still managed to land Williams by trading up to No. 45.
So, what exactly are the Patriots getting in Williams?
Well, for one, he immediately became the tallest cornerback on New England’s depth chart at 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds, which should allow him to match up well with bigger receivers.
One NFL executive even had an interesting player comparison for the 21-year-old.
“He builds from the back end,” an executive told Mike Sando for a piece published Friday on ESPN.com. “Joejuan Williams is such a different style because he is long. He is like Brandon Browner. You put him on big receivers like the guy in Philadelphia (Alshon Jeffery) or you put him on tight ends. You get a guy with length and size and it is hard to complete balls.”
Browner spent just one season with the Patriots (2014) but played an important role in New England winning Super Bowl XLIX. Known for his physicality, Browner (also standing at 6-foot-4) bumped Seattle Seahawks receiver Jermaine Kearse on a pick play down near the goal line in the closing moments, paving the way for Malcolm Butler’s famous title-clinching interception on Russell Wilson.
Browner was very productive at points in his five-year NFL career, so Williams will be a useful player for the Patriots if he provides a similar skill set.
Of course, the Patriots definitely hope that’s where the comparison ends, though, as Browner currently is serving eight years in prison after pleading no contest to charges of attempted murder and two misdemeanor counts of cruelty in December 2018.
