2022 NFL Draft: Dallas Cowboys pick Sam Williams addresses sexual battery case

The Dallas Cowboys spent their second-round draft pick on Ole Miss defensive end Sam Williams, someone defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has been eyeing. However, it’s viewed as a risky pick due to some off-the-field issues Williams went through while still in college.

Williams was arrested and charged with a felony charge of sexual battery, seeing him suspended from the Rebels during the 2020 season. He addressed the situation when speaking to the Dallas media on Friday, saying it’s a new life and he is hoping to move forward.

“Obviously I didn’t do anything,” Williams said. Now, it’s a new life, just a new start for me. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most, a new start in a new area with great coaches, great teammates and my family.”

Williams was suspended from the team during the 2020 season, missing game time. Once the case was dropped, head coach Lane Kiffin brought him back into the program, where he was a huge contributor during the 2021 season.

Sam Williams describes feeling of being drafted by Dallas Cowboys

Williams was hopeful that he had done enough to impress the Dallas Cowboys in his pre-draft workouts and interviews. They had certainly left an impression on him, and the Ole Miss edge defender found himself wanting to play under defensive coordinator Dan Quinn at AT&T Stadium in 2022.

Ultimately, that dream became reality with the Cowboys selecting Williams No. 56 overall in the second round Friday.

“I told (Dan Quinn before the draft) I want to be a Cowboy,” Williams said according to The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “Being worked out by him was a huge honor … I told my agent (after my 30 visit) I don’t want to leave. I told them I’m gonna miss my plane on purpose b/c I don’t wanna leave.”

Williams’ best season came last year, as he tallied 12.5 sacks — a school record — with 16 tackles for a loss and forcing four fumbles. He left Ole Miss with third-team AP All-American and first-team All-SEC honors.

Williams was a former four-star recruit according to the On3 Consensus rankings, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average. His path to Ole Miss came through the JUCO level, as he was one of the highest rated junior college prospects in 2019. He received first-team JUCO All-American honors at Northeast Mississippi Community College with 17.5 sacks — a talent that came with him to the Rebels.