Heading into the second day of the 2004 NFL Draft, GM/Head Coach Mike Sherman said his strategy for the later rounds would be to select players he thought could make the team.
And so with the 14th pick of the sixth round -- the 179th pick overall -- the Packers selected Corey Williams of Arkansas State, a player that they believe possesses valuable versatility.
"He has the unique ability to play power end, 3-alignment tackle and nose tackle well," college scouting director John Dorsey said. "So what you do there is you add depth ... He was our highest rated player on the board at the time and we felt that we had to go up and get this guy."
To do so, the Packers made their fourth trade of the draft, sending a seventh-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers while swapping sixth-round selections to move up nine spots.
Williams is coming off a senior season at ASU in which he was limited by injuries, including a lingering high ankle sprain.
He recorded only one sack his final collegiate season, but had nine the year before.
"If you go back and look at his junior film and his senior film, you see an athlete who has great feet, great change of direction and he has power," Dorsey said. "He makes plays. It leads you to believe, 'Here's a gentleman that can play all three positions for you.'"
Williams is the second defensive tackle acquired by the Packers' in the 2004 draft and the third defensive tackle drafted over the past two years.
The Packers took Clemson's Donnell Washington with their second pick of the third round, after making Oregon State's James Lee a fifth-round pick in 2002.
Williams, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 303 pounds, admits that he missed some sack opportunities because of his injuries in 2003, but said that after an offseason working with a physical therapist he's back at 100 percent.
"I'm looking forward to having a good career," Williams said. "I've got the attitude to go in and take care of my business."
