CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns got “Greedy” on Tuesday, and that is a good thing.
The Browns announced on Twitter that their top pick from the 2019 NFL Draft, former LSU cornerback Greedy Williams, signed his rookie contract, and they shared a photo of him putting pen to paper and making the deal official.
Williams was the sixth of the Browns’ seven draft picks to sign. Now, only linebacker Sione Takitaki remains to round out the Browns’ 2019 rookie class.
Williams seemed happy, not only by his smile in the one photo, but also, in a Twitter response to the Browns’ post.
After trading away their first-round pick to acquire Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., the Browns moved up in the second round to select Williams. Then, the Browns continued to bolster the defense by taking linebacker Sione Takitaki in the third round.
Over 24 career games in just two years at LSU, Williams registered 71 total tackles, including 49 solo stops and 22 assists, with 1.5 tackles behind the line of scrimmage, as well as eight interceptions and 19 passes defended.
“The thing about Greedy Williams is you have a talented kid who the sky is the limit for him,” said Alonzo Highsmith, the Browns’ vice president of player personnel, on Day Two of the NFL Draft. “He can be as good as he wants to be. He slipped in the draft. I never thought we would get Greedy Williams at No. 49. In the beginning of the season and the draft, he is a 4.3 [40-yard dash] kid. He is 6-2. He was just a guy that I never thought would be there at No. 49.
“He slipped some in the draft because he had some miscues this season and didn’t tackle as well as he should have. A lot of people dinged him for that, but coming here, I think we will get the best of him. Hopefully, he comes here with a chip on his shoulder and wants to prove to everybody that he can be the best player in this draft because he has the talent.”
Williams burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2017 when he collected six interceptions and 10 passes defended along with 26 solo stops, 12 assists and 38 total tackles.
Those six interceptions ranked first in the Southeastern Conference and fourth in the NCAA, which is part of the reason why the Browns traded the Nos. 49 and 144 selections to the Indianapolis Colts in order to move up to No. 46 and select Williams.
“You need more than one guy who can cover man to man,” Browns coach Freddie Kitchens said after the selection last month. We feel like we have a couple of guys here, but I think he offers an elite level from that standpoint and skill set that enables him to cover.”