UNI’s Williams Signs NFL Free Agent Contract

UNI defensive lineman Xavier Williams is getting a chance to fulfill his dream of playing professional football, despite not being selected in last week's NFL Draft.

The Arizona Cardinals have signed Williams as a free agent, according to officials in the team’s front office. He is one of 14 rookie free agents to agree to contract terms with the NFL club on Tuesday (May 5, 2015).

Williams will now join running back David Johnson as part of the Cardinals' organization.

A staple on the defensive side of the ball for the Panthers, Williams started all 14 games as a senior. He helped UNI’s defensive line finish 2014 ranked No. 2 in the FCS in team sacks, grabbing 8.0 himself. Williams racked up 93 tackles, including 14.0 for loss.

The Kansas City, Mo. native played football and was a two-time state qualifier in wrestling at Grandview High School. His prior wrestling career gives him the ability to play with low center of gravity that provides him natural strength and leverage.

The 6-foot-2, 309-pound lineman’s natural talent shined during the East-West Shrine Bowl in January. According to ESPN Insider, it was Williams’ “hands and quick first step” that ended up separating him from the rest of the interior defensive linemen during practices and the game.

Williams is a two-time all-Missouri Valley Football Conference (MVFC) first-team selection and after his senior season in 2014, he also has five All-America nods under his belt.

Last season, Williams was a Buck Buchanan Award finalist, an honor given to the top-defensive player in the FCS each year.

Size and speed have made Williams a force to be reckoned with on the field against offensive linemen, but he also has been integral on special teams. Williams owns the UNI record for blocked kicks in a season with five in 2012 and now sits tied for first as a Panther with seven career blocked kicks.

Williams has finished in the top-five on the team in tackles in all three years that he has started on the defensive line, including his career-high 93 in 2014. His 14.0 tackles for loss last season gave him a career-total of 29.5 to rank him fifth all-time in UNI history.