New York Giants Draft Prospect: CB Nohl Williams, Cal

Cal CB Nohl Williams plays a chippy kind of game in which he doesn't let bigger receivers bully him around.

Nov 30, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; California Golden Bears defensive back Nohl Williams (3) in action during the game between the SMU Mustangs and the California Golden Bears at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. / Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

With the Giants needing a physical perimeter cornerback with size, length, and attitude in between the hash marks, Cal's Nohl Williams checks those boxes and more.

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MORE: They Might Be Giants: 2025 Draft Prospect Scouting Reports

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Nohl Williams, CB

• Height: 6’1
• Weight: 200 lbs
• Class: 5th Year Senior
• School: Cal
• STATS

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A former three-star recruit out of Pacifica High School in Oxnard, California, where he was the 211th-ranked player from the state and the 191st-ranked CB. Williams initially attended UNLV for three seasons before transferring to CAL for his final two. He has played 3,328 defensive snaps in college.  

Williams was named First-Team All-ACC after recording his seven interceptions, which led the FBS. He only allowed a 48.5% catch rate, which ranked fifth best in college football among CBs who played at least 80% of their team’s snaps. Williams attended the East-West Shrine Game and had a great week of practice. 

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Strengths

• Excellent fluid athlete with good overall size
• Oily hips that can open and shut – good feet!
• Changes direction well, stays low, with excellent agility
• Excellent burst and short-area quickness out of his breaks and downhill
• Good speed and acceleration; can swiftly stop/pivot 
• A controlled and balanced mover in space – elite overall movement skills
• Has ELITE press-man reps
• Effective one-hand jam; quickly positions himself well 
• Understands leverage and how to use the field to his advantage 
• Solid feet and mirroring at the LOS in press
• Excellent press-man ability – stays in phase and in the hip of WRs
• Easily mirrors and matches WRs up their stems and through their break
• Quick click & close downhill 
• Beautiful technique as inside press – squeezes WRs to the sideline and stays high (see Wake Forest interception, 2024)
• Jams and adjusts with incredible fluidity on outside curls from even or inside leverage 
• Very good zone awareness and eyes
• Good positioning as a zone defender – reads 1 to 2, good spatial awareness, smash and similar situations 
• Locates and tracks the football – has a WR mindset when attacking football 
• Ball hawk – had 14 career INTs with 7 in 2024
• Disruptive and a nuisance at the catch point – good timing to get his hands into receivers' mits
• Significantly cleaned up his tackling in 2024 – missed 19.4% of tackles in 2023 and just 5.7% last season
• Good overall in run support and is not afraid to hit people
• Navigates traffic well around the LOS
• Elite play strength and confidence – did not allow massive Stanford WR Elic Ayomanor to bully him
• Chippy player – will jaw!
• Was very impressive at East-West practices
• Had a kick return for touchdown against UC Davis on pooch attempt – good with football in space
• He also had a pick-six against Miami and previously returned two fumble recoveries for TDs

Nov 23, 2024; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears defensive back Nohl Williams (3) warms up before the game against the Stanford Cardinal at California Memorial Stadium. / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Weaknesses

• Is physical but this can lead to flags – was penalized 17 times in college
• Older prospect 
• Love his chippiness – is pugnacious and may take unwarranted penalties

Nohl Williams with the PBU ❌ @CalFootball

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Summary

Nohl Williams is a competitor with excellent press-man upside, good overall man coverage skills, and the spatial awareness, eyes, and reactive ability to thrive as a zone defender.

He understands leverage and positions himself well when mid-pointing – he does not panic and his confidence is evident beyond his constant jawing. Williams' ball skills and ability to attack the football are sensational.

Williams has solid hit-stick strength when coming downhill in the flat – he fires out of a cannon – and he was able to be more accurate with his tackle aiming points in space, which was a big problem in 2023.

He must be more disciplined with his hands; Williams can get grabby and overly physical, but I prefer that to a pusillanimous defender. Williams is not backing down from anything and he has the upside to be a lockdown press-man cornerback.

GRADE: 6.68

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Nick Falato's Draft Grade Chart / Nick Falato

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