Hoosiers Now

Former Hoosier Jaylin Williams Records INT in First NFL Preseason Game

Jaylin Williams, a five-year cornerback for coach Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers, recorded an interception for the Minnesota Vikings their Thursday night NFL preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks. Williams signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft.

Daniel Olinger

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After a standout five-year career playing for coach Tom Allen and the Indiana Hoosiers, cornerback Jaylin Williams signed as an undrafted free agent with the Minnesota Vikings. 

Immediately, the IU product showed his value on the professional stage, recording an interception in his first ever NFL preseason game on Thursday night.   

Williams picked off an errant pass from current Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback, and former Denver Broncos starting quarterback, Drew Lock. The rookie corner from Indiana was subsequently mobbed by his teammates in a celebration in the end zone. 

"Rookie slot corner Jaylin Williams had the Vikings' biggest defensive highlight with an interception of Drew Lock," Will Ragatz wrote for Inside the Vikings. "The Indiana product read Lock's eyes and came off of his man to make the play. He's a deep sleeper to watch moving forward."

Picking off passes is nothing new for Williams, who recorded six interceptions during his time with the Hoosiers. Though he did not record a single INT during his final two collegiate seasons in 2021 and 2022, Williams racked up four picks in just eight games during Indiana's 6-2 season in 2020. All those interceptions resulted in Williams being named second team All-Big Ten by both coaches and media at the end of the 2020 season.

All four of Williams' interceptions in 2020 came in IU wins. He picked off Sean Clifford of Penn State, Noah Vedral of Rutgers, Joe Milton of Michigan and Taulia Tagovailoa of Maryland. His interception of Milton was particularly memorable, both for sealing Indiana's first win over Michigan since 1987, and for just how bad of a throw it was from the Wolverines' quarterback. 

It's hard for any undrafted free agent to make the 53-man roster crunch that the NFL requires, and a single play where Williams largely benefitted from a terrible throw from Lock won't be enough by itself. But on Thursday night, Williams made about as a good of a first impression as any Hoosier fan possibly could have imagined, so he has puncher's chance at making the Vikings' roster. 

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Daniel Olinger
DANIEL OLINGER

Daniel Olinger is a Sports Illustrated/FanNation reporter for HoosiersNow.com. He graduated from Northwestern University with degrees in both journalism and economics. 

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