KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Chiefs rookie Joshua Williams has always had his eyes set on NFL dreams, but the defensive back out of Fayetteville State University didn’t take the conventional route.
The fourth round draft pick came from a division II program and a historically Black university, making Williams only the fourth NFL player drafted from a HBCU. But the 135th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft didn't care where he came from, only where he's trying to get.
“I think I do belong, regardless of where I came from there are a lot of great DII players in every division, it's not something that’s always weighing on my brain but I do understand I had a different path," Williams said.
During his collegiate years, Williams sat out an entire season, like many other college athletes, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fayetteville State did not have a season during 2020 and the DB found himself working during the fall.
"Just working out, I did have a part time job, but that was about it... working out, doing my schoolwork and going to work because unfortunately, we didn’t have a season."
What was Williams doing on the side? Delivering pizzas and working as a security guard at nights.
As for the pizza shop...
"Domino's...shout out to Domino's,“ he said.
Williams has made quite the leap from Domino's to the field alongside Patrick Mahomes.
The rookie is eager to prove his worth and potentially land a spot on the 53-man roster. The quarterbacks and rookies will be joined by the veterans at training camp starting on Monday.
The first officially full team practice is on July 27.
