At a Glance: CB Chris Williamson, Minnesota

Let's find out some more about new Giants cornerback Chris Williamson

Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY Sports

The Giants draft their second Golden Gopher in the 7th round in cornerback Chris Williamson and somewhere, P.J. Fleck is screaming "row the boat!" 

Williamson played in 38 games, starting ten while recording 96 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, nine passes defensed, and two interceptions. 

The 5-foot-11, 199-pound corner, who transferred out of Florida to Minnesota in 2017, was invited to the East-West Shrine game and had a solid week of practice in St. Petersburg, but was not invited to the combine, nor did he receive an invite to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

In 2019, he played 444 of his 657 snaps in Rossi’s defense, according to Pro Football Focus. I saw a lot of his film in 2018, where he played a lot more wide corner, and he seemed like a marginal starter for the Golden Gophers. 

After his rocky collegiate start with the Gators, he was able to gain praise from his Golden Gophers coaches as a true leader, a development that he had to work to earn.

Williamson is from Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended Gainesville High School. He was a standout wide receiver in high school and recorded 76 receptions for 1,402 yards and 20 touchdowns. 

Wide receiver was his first love in high school. He was coached by Bruce Miller and Ray Buchanan, the latter a former NFL Pro-Bowler. 

Williamson fell in love with football at the age of six, and he felt such a strong connection to the game. According to Pro Football Network, Williamson’s dad wanted him to do more than just one thing, but Williamson couldn’t stop obsessing over the game that he loved so much. 

Williamson viewed football as a business, and although he loved playing receiver in high school, he felt it prudent to switch to cornerback due to his size. As a senior in high school, Williamson had 47 tackles and a pick.

Williamson was very excited when he chose Florida over Michigan. Still, during his first few weeks of camp in Gainesville, Florida, he suffered a hamstring injury, which held him off the field for four weeks. 

The injury limited his ability to lift and practice, and it lingered. Williamson ended up being buried on the depth chart with the Gators, which prompted his transfer from Florida to Minnesota. 

Williamson was hoping to prove his athletic ability at Minnesota’s pro day, but it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

He will look to compete for the nickel spot and as a special teamer with the Giants but may have an uphill climb to crack the Giants roster given the numbers at cornerback.