Antwione Williams

Antwione Williams

Williams with the Detroit Lions in 2016
No. 52, 56, 49, 55
Position:	Linebacker
Personal information
Born:	(1993-05-26) May 26, 1993 (age 31) Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight:	240 lb (109 kg)
Career information
High school:	Lovejoy (Hampton, Georgia)
College:	Georgia Southern
NFL draft:	2016  / Round: 5 / Pick: 169
Career history
Detroit Lions (2016) Minnesota Vikings (2017–2018)* Seattle Seahawks (2018)* Carolina Panthers (2018–2019)* DC Defenders (2020)
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles: 27 Fumble recoveries: 1
Player stats at PFR

Leander Antwione Williams (born May 26, 1993) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at Georgia Southern. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round (169th overall) in the 2016 NFL draft.

Early life

Williams attended Lovejoy High School where he was a two-tme All-Regional selection. He was named All-county and All-South Crescent in 2009 and 2010. For his career, he recorded 63 tackles (14 solo), eight tackles-for-loss, three sacks, four interceptions, eight passes defensed, two blocked kicks and one touchdown. ^[1]

College career

Williams then attended Georgia Southern University where he majored in psychology. ^[1]

As a freshman in 2011, he appeared in 11 games, starting three at linebacker. He finished the season with 25 tackles and one tackle-for-loss. In 2012 as a sophomore, he appeared in 14 games, starting six. He recorded 32 tackles (17 solo) and three passes defensed. He then missed the 2013 with an injury and was given a medical redshirt. In 2014, he returned as a redshirt junior and started all 12 games. He finished second on the team with 65 tackles (44 solo), eight tackles-for-loss, three sacks, one forced fumble and four passes defensed. For the season, he was named an All-Sun Belt Conference honorable mention. He also was named to the Dean's list in the spring and was a member of the Eagle Honor Roll for the spring as well. As a redshirt senior in 2015, he started all 13 games. He recorded 107 tackles (48 solo), 10.5 tackles-for-loss, four sacks, four forced fumbles, two quarterback hurries and three passes defensed. After the season, he was named an All-Sun Belt honorable mention selection. ^[1]

Statistics

Year	Team	GP/GS	Tackles				Sacks	Pass defense		Fumbles		Safeties	TDs
			Solo	Ast	Total	TFL	No	Int	PD	FF	FR
2011	Georgia Southern	11 / 3	--	--	25	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2012	Georgia Southern	14 / 6	17	15	32	--	0	0	3	0	0	0	0
2013	Georgia Southern	0 / 0	--	--	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
2014	Georgia Southern	12 / 12	44	19	65	8	3	0	4	1	0	0	0
2015	Georgia Southern	13 / 13	48	59	107	10.5	4	0	3	4	0	0	0
Career		50 / 34	--	--	229	19.5	7	0	10	5	0	0	0

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables

Height	Weight	40-yard dash	10-yard split	20-yard split	20-yard shuttle	Three-cone drill	Vertical jump	Broad jump	Bench press
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (109 kg)	4.80 s	1.70 s	2.89 s	4.58 s	7.03 s	35 in (0.89 m)	9 ft 10 in (3.00 m)	23 reps
All values from Georgia Southern pro day. [2]

Detroit Lions

Williams was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round (169th overall) of the 2016 NFL draft. ^[3] On May 6, he signed his four-year rookie contract. ^[4] He played 14 games for the Lions in 2016, recording 12 tackles on the season. On September 2, 2017, Williams was waived by the Lions. ^[5]

Minnesota Vikings

On September 13, 2017, Williams was signed to the practice squad of the Minnesota Vikings. ^[6] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Vikings on January 22, 2018. ^[7] On August 31, 2018, Williams was waived by the Vikings. ^[8]

Seattle Seahawks

On September 3, 2018, Williams was signed to the Seattle Seahawks' practice squad, but was released two days later. ^{[9] [10]}

Carolina Panthers

On December 19, 2018, Williams was signed to the Carolina Panthers practice squad. ^[11] He signed a reserve/future contract with the Panthers on December 31, 2018. ^[12] He was waived during final roster cuts on August 30, 2019. ^[13]

DC Defenders

Williams was signed by the DC Defenders of the XFL during mini-camp in December 2019. He was waived on February 29, 2020. ^[14]

Personal life

In August 2020, he began attending Atlanta's John Marshall Law School and graduated in May 2023 with a Juris Doctor degree.

References

1. "The Official Website of Georgia Southern Athletics Antwione Williams". GSEagles.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
2. "Antwione Williams, DS #24 OLB, Georgia Southern". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
3. "2016 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
4. Birkett, Dave (May 6, 2016). "Detroit Lions sign three more draft picks to 4-year deals". Freep.com. Retrieved September 19, 2016.
5. "Lions establish 53-man roster". DetroitLions.com. September 2, 2017. Archived from the original on September 3, 2017.
6. "Vikings Sign Former Lions LB Antwione Williams to Practice Squad". Vikings.com. September 13, 2017. Archived from the original on September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
7. "Vikings Sign 6 to Reserve/Future Contracts". Vikings.com. January 22, 2018. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018.
8. "Vikings Release 14 Players". Vikings.com. August 31, 2018.
9. "Seahawks Set 53-Man Roster". Seahawks.com. September 1, 2018.
10. "Seahawks re-sign Branden Jackson, release Antwione Williams". 247sports.com. September 5, 2018.
11. "Panthers place Graham Gano on injured reserve". Panthers.com. December 19, 2018.
12. "Panthers sign 13 players to future contracts". Panthers.com. December 31, 2018.
13. Henson, Max (August 30, 2019). "Panthers announce first wave of 2019 roster cuts". Panthers.com. Retrieved August 30, 2019.
14. "XFL Transactions". XFL.com. Retrieved March 1, 2020.

External links

• Official website Archived April 28, 2017, at the Wayback Machine
• Georgia Southern bio
• Detroit Lions bio