Exonerated NFL Draft Pick P.J. Williams Willing to Do Whatever It Takes

"All you can do is tell them the truth."

The truth is a big thing for Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams, especially after going through an NFL draft process with so much public misinformation flying about him.

The most recent attack on his character had to do with an April 3 traffic stop leading to an arrest and a misdemeanor charge of driving while under the influence (DUI). That case, filed in Leon County, Florida, has since been dropped as the state admitted it lacked sufficient evidence to proceed.

Williams spoke with Bleacher Report just days before the case was thrown out of court. Although he could not then comment on the specifics of the case and referred all questions to his lawyer, Jon Simon of Orlando, he had no doubt that he would eventually be exonerated of all chargers—as he now is.

Simon, speaking immediately after news broke, said the stop should never have happened and that it was an "attack on Williams' character."

Even before the traffic stop, Williams had been dealing with plenty of misinformation about his surgically repaired knee, which he says is not only 100 percent, but that he's currently training as hard as possible to get his conditioning back to pre-injury levels. 

In order to prove to NFL teams that any bit of trouble is in his past, he said that his agent and lawyer are "letting teams know everything I’ll do and everything I’ll have set up. I’ll do whatever it takes...whatever it has to take...whatever a team wants me to do."

Williams repeated some variation on that phrase, "whatever it takes," a dozen times in our short conversation. As laser-focused on the coming draft as any prospect, he knows teams have a dozen questions about him that could mean the difference between a late-first/early-second day selection or a precipitous fall down a talented and deep cornerback class. 

According to Bleacher Report's Matt Miller, Williams is the No. 7 corner in the entire class (52nd overall). It is notable too that Miller has 13 corners in his top 100 picks, which means teams will have their pick of the litter at that position but also that there are plenty of other attractive candidates if a team isn't sold on Williams' character. 

Williams hopes to move past this incident by "being completely honest and [in the future] making sure I’m not putting myself in any bad position."

In a "No Information" filing by Florida State Attorney William Meggs obtained by Bleacher Report, the state admits there was never enough evidence to move forward with any sort of case against Williams, stating that video of the incident "does not show the defendant's driving was dangerous or affected other drivers," although the state believes officers did have "probable cause for the defendant's arrest."

In addition, multiple sources confirmed that there was no physical evidence of Williams' blood alcohol content at the time of the arrest. Williams declined to submit himself to breathalyzer testing, and no blood testing was ever done after the arrest, which would be standard operating procedure before charging someone in a case like this. 

Williams was the designated driver that night.

Now, after what should've been a much more minor inconvenience, Williams looks forward to a promising NFL career. 

"I’m looking to be a great NFL defensive back—good at every aspect of the position," Williams said. "A lot of defensive backs define themselves by one thing—being a great cover corner or being a great tackler...I want to be able to do everything a safety, corner or nickelback can do."

"I’m a player who’s going to do whatever it takes to help the team win. I can play all of the defensive back positions. I’m a physical guy who's not afraid to tackle. I’m a good athlete and can run with anyone."

Williams' self-evaluation (and the confidence with which he states his abilities) matches much of what NFL Media's Lance Zierlein wrote in his draft profile for Williams:

"

Cover cornerback with the talent to play on an island, and the swagger to regroup and forget when beaten. Williams can cover outside or from the slot, and has potential to come in and start right away for an aggressive man-cover defense. Williams had some issues recovering when beaten deep and may end up making a move to safety on the next level. He has the talent to be a capable NFL starter at either position.

"

Williams is driven by an intense internal focus but also by a love for what he calls his small, close-knit family, which he is extremely close to. He doesn't have any lofty plans for his first NFL paycheck along the lines of buying a house or car for his mom as many draft picks might dream of, but he knows his NFL life will be able to take care of his three-year-old daughter, Kylea. 

Kylea and her mom live in the Ocala, Florida, area where Williams is originally from. He says he and the mother have a good relationship but are not together. Wherever Williams is drafted to play on Sundays, he knows he'll be leaving his extended family as well as Kylea behind, which is tough pill to swallow but also a reminder of what he's working toward. 

"You won’t be able to see your daughter as much as you want to," Williams said, "but you have to have your mind right, knowing that you’re doing something good for them and setting them up for success both now and later in life." 

As a draft prospect, Williams benefits from having played with top-notch NFL talent at Florida State.

He says the best two receivers he's gone against in his college career are both teammates—current Carolina Panthers receiver Kelvin Benjamin and 2015 draft prospect Rashad Greene. 

"With Benjamin," Williams said, "he’s a big guy—a physical guy and knows how to track the ball. Have to stay in front of him and use technique to fight for the ball. With Green, he’s a great route-runner, great off the line."

Though Williams knows he'll have his work cut out for him when he gets to go against the best the NFL has to offer, he believes routinely going up against Benjamin and Greene for years of practice has put him on the right track to hit the ground running. 

Physically, Williams feels ready to contribute to an NFL team and says the biggest hurdle between him and a successful NFL career will be the speed with which he's able to learn not only the playbook of the team that drafts him, but also all "the little things" his future opponents do. 

To help him in that regard, Williams has been training in Orlando and has had the help of a number of current and former NFL players such as recently retired Pittsburgh Steelers corner Ike Taylor and current free-agent wide receiver Santonio Holmes.

"I'm definitely working on the little technical things," Williams says. "Everything will be sharp with my press coverage, off man. I’m getting a lot of tips from the NFL guys on little keys that teams do...tendencies and stuff like that."

More specifically, Williams says he's been working hard at improving his coverage when not right on the line of scrimmage: "We’ve been drilling some off-man coverage things, and learning from when to get your eyes from the quarterback to the man and stuff like that. It’s helping my game."

Asked to describe what should make him attractive to NFL teams—especially in light of all the real and imagined red flags sure to be dotting his scouting reports across the league, Williams said it's easy once those head coaches and general managers get to know him. 

"I’m a person who is going to be definitely reliable and accountable," Williams says. "There’s no question that I’ve been accountable at Florida State. I’ve been through three defensive coordinators, and between all of those coaches and Jimbo Fisher, (you) can't find anyone who can say nothing but good things about me."

Getting to the NFL is not Williams' goal. 

Right now, that's nothing more than a foregone conclusion. He wants to be one of the best ever. It's been a rocky road over the past couple of months. But his own personal mix of resilience and work ethic has gotten him this far, and it should be more than enough to carry him to greater heights yet. 

Whatever it takes, right?

Michael Schottey is an award-winning NFL national lead writer for Bleacher Report and a writer for Football Insiders. Follow him on Twitter. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes were obtained by the author.