Nohl Williams NFL Draft 2025: Scouting Report for Cal CB

HEIGHT: 6'0"

WEIGHT: 199

HAND: 9”

ARM: 30¾”

WINGSPAN: 74⅞”

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40-YARD DASH: 4.50

3-CONE: 6.97

SHUTTLE: 4.25

VERTICAL: 33.5"

BROAD: 10'0"

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POSITIVES

— Elite ball production. Led the country with seven interceptions last season and had 14 during his five-year college career with 25 passes defended. Has good hands for interceptions.

— Good at reading the quarterback's eyes, anticipating throws and tracking the ball to get interceptions when playing zone coverage.

— Shows good patience in zone coverage to keep his hips square and avoid opening the gate early. Has impressive strength to disrupt wide receivers' routes at the line of scrimmage with a one-arm jam, and has quick/fluid hips to turn and run.

— Decent acceleration out of his break to drive on curl routes when playing off coverage.

— Willing run defender who will get involved in tackles, using good pad level and wrapping up to minimize misses.

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NEGATIVES

— Just an average athlete overall with underwhelming testing numbers, which can show up in man coverage against better competition.

— Subpar change of direction. Takes a lot of rounded cuts, which can lead to separation versus dig routes.

— Below-average makeup speed to recover if he loses at the line of scrimmage in press coverage or falls out of phase.

— Will occasionally get caught with his eyes in the backfield in zone coverage and struggles to protect his blind spot.

— Gets grabby and will lean on wide receivers when he gets beat.

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NOTES

— 3-star recruit in the 2020 class, per 247Sports

— Played at UNLV from 2020 to 2022 before transferring to Cal in 2023

— No major injuries

— 2022 Honorable Mention All-Mountain West

— 2024 First-Team All-ACC

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OVERALL

Nohl Williams made a name for himself this season as a ball-hawking cornerback, leading the country with seven interceptions. He has good hands, reads the quarterback's eyes well to anticipate throws and tracks the ball like a wide receiver.

Williams is at his best when playing press coverage. He's patient with his hips to avoid opening the gate too soon and has fluid hips to quickly transition to turn and run. He also has good strength and is a heavier corner, which helps him disrupt routes with a one-arm stab when jamming a wide receiver.

However, the Cal product does lack some athleticism and long speed, which showed up in his testing at the combine. That can cause him to fall out of phase against dig routes and makes him susceptible to getting beat deep in man coverage, especially against double moves.

Against the run, Williams is willing to get involved in run fits, has good tackling form and rarely misses tackles. He does enough to be a sufficient run defender, but he isn't super aggressive in this area.

Overall, Williams would be a good fit as a second or third corner for a team that uses a lot of press coverage. He doesn't have the shutdown skills to be a true CB1, but his ball skills can help make up for some of his athletic shortcomings.

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GRADE: 6.6 (Potential Role Player — 4th Round)

OVERALL RANK: 153

POSITION RANK: CB18

PRO COMPARISON: Paulson Adebo

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Written by B/R NFL Scout Matt Holder