When the Jacksonville Jaguars took linebacker Quincy Williams late in the third-round many draft pundits were unfamiliar with the young defender from Murray State. However, general manager Dave Caldwell and the front office felt very confident in the selection and we’ve seen why in the summer.
After having a good showing in organized and minicamp team activities, Williams is still catching the eyes of many, including those of head coach Doug Marrone. Before heading onto the practice field Tuesday morning, Marrone gave the rookie high praise in terms of his effort and playmaking ability in practice by stating that he may just be the fastest player of training camp.
Williams has been seeing some time with the starters, so hearing Marrone praise him in such a way is huge. And while Marrone also stated that Williams has made mistakes as all rookies do, he also added that the former Murray State standout has been great with correcting himself.
Williams’ impressive start to camp is no doubt what the fans and staff wanted to witness as the team will need someone to take Telvin Smith’s spot at the weak-side linebacker position. Training camp should definitely help him to get where he needs to be by Week 1 as offensive coordinator John DeFilippo and Nick Foles seem to be consistently challenging the defense. Additionally, the time the Jags see on the field against the Ravens Week 1 in joint practices should help give a better evaluation on Williams, but clearly the arrow is currently pointing up.
