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Mario Williams

Williams in June 2006
No. 90     Houston Texans
Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: January 31, 1985 (1985-01-31) (age 24)
Place of birth: Richlands, North Carolina
Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	Weight: 295 lb (134 kg)
Career information
College: North Carolina State
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1
Debuted in 2006 for the Houston Texans
Career history
As player: Houston Texans (2006–present)
Career highlights and awards
2× Pro Bowl selection (2008, 2009) 1× Pro Bowl alternate (2007) 2× First-team All-Pro selection (2007, 2008) Texans' Single-Season Sack Record (14 in 2007)
Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2008
Tackles	177
Sacks	32.5
Interceptions	0
Stats at NFL.com

Mario Jerrel Williams (born January 31, 1985 in Richlands, North Carolina) is an American football defensive end for the Houston Texans of the National Football League. He was selected first overall by the Texans in the 2006 NFL Draft, being the first player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be chosen as the first overall pick. He played college football at North Carolina State University.

College career

While playing in the ACC for North Carolina State under coach Chuck Amato, Williams played the defensive end position. He was a "blue chip" recruit coming out of Richlands High School, and he did not disappoint, starting at DE all three seasons. He recorded 175 tackles and 25.5 sacks in his 36 game career. In 2005, he was named to SI.com's All-American team^[1] and also to the All-ACC first team.^[2]

During the 2005 season, he started 12 games, recording 62 total tackles with 24 tackles for loss, 14.5 sacks, 15 hurries, a safety and a blocked kick.^[3] He maintained a 3.68 grade point average and according to reports, he would often be seen studying in the library on Friday and Saturday nights.

NFL career

2006 NFL Draft

Measurables

(* represents NFL Combine) ^[4]

Bench Press: 450 lbs.
Squat: 320 lbs.^[5]

Williams left school one year early to enter the 2006 NFL Draft. Coming out of college, Williams was called an elite prospect, “an amazing natural athlete with rare ability” and “an outstanding pass rusher who can dominate a game.”^[6] At the NFL Combine Williams ran a 4.66 and a 4.73 forty-yard dash, which was averaged out to 4.70. He also bench-pressed 225 pounds 35 times and had a 40½ vertical leap.^[7]

On the eve of the 2006 NFL Draft, the Houston Texans announced that they had signed the N.C. State standout to a six-year, $54 million contract, ending speculation that Houston would draft USC running back Reggie Bush or hometown quarterback Vince Young. Texans GM Charley Casserly stated that while he believes both Reggie Bush and Vince Young will make excellent pros, the Texans chose to improve defensively. One of the main reasons the Texans wanted Williams is because they wanted to slow down Peyton Manning of the division rival Indianapolis Colts.^[8] On Saturday, April 29, 2006, Williams was selected as the #1 overall draft pick for the Houston Texans in the 2006 NFL draft.^[3] Back in Houston, however, many people booed as he was picked.^[9]

It has been reported that more than $26 million of the contract will be in guaranteed money, and provided that Williams lives up to performance goals listed in the contract, the deal could be worth more than $60 million all together. Many commentators immediately criticized the decision to select Williams ahead of Bush, with Len Pasquarelli claiming that the administration of the Houston Texans was “suffering from astigmatism”,^[10] and ESPN columnist Bill Simmons suggesting that all professional sports teams should hire a “Vice President of Common Sense”.^[11]

Houston Texans

On October 1, 2006, Williams recorded his first sack and a half against the Miami Dolphins' Daunte Culpepper in the Texans first win of the season 17-15. Three weeks later, Williams sacked Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Byron Leftwich and recovered a fumble in the Texan's 27-7 upset. In the 2006 season, Williams accumulated 47 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble.

Early in the 2007 season, Williams played well, with an outstanding performance in the first game of his sophomore season. The defensive end had five tackles, two sacks, and returned a fumble by Chief's fullback Kris Wilson for a touchdown. He had particularly big games against the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans, sacking Jay Cutler 3.5 times and Vince Young 2.5 times in one game each. His first sack of 2007 was of Peyton Manning.^[12] Before the game Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy compared Williams to Colts Pro Bowl Defensive End Dwight Freeney.^[8] He finished the season with 59 total tackles and 14 sacks.

The 2007 season was a year that Williams answered many of the critics that he gained because of his lofty Number 1 draft pick status.^[13] In 2007 year, through 15 games, he accounted for 48 percent of his teams sacks, a higher percentage than any other player.^[13] Williams was a First-team All-Pro selection by the Sporting News, however, he was not elected to the Pro Bowl but was voted an alternate to the game. ^[14]

In 2008, Williams continued to prosper, amassing 12 sacks and 53 tackles in 15 games (all starts). This effort included three sacks and one forced fumble in the Texans' first ever Monday Night Football game on December 1, 2008. For his efforts, Williams was selected for his first Pro Bowl as a starter and was a First-team All-Pro selection by the Sporting News for the second consecutive season.

Personal life

When not playing football, Williams enjoys playing video games or with his remote control cars or helicopter.^[12] He also has a collection of 10 guns, including a Browning machine gun rifle, a Desert Eagle pistol and AR-10 and AR-15 rifles.^[12] When asked about his gun collection he responded, “I’m from the country, man, I’m big on that”.^[12]

Career statistics

References

External links

• Mario Williams on Twitter
• Profile at HoustonTexans.com