Chris
Williamson.
Chris
Williamson.
Minnesota
"The Giants drafted Minnesota's physical nickel at No. 247, and he appeared in a handful of games for Atlanta before bouncing between practice squads in Detroit and Tennessee."Pre-draft read
Williamson was a nickel and boundary cornerback in Minnesota's defense, a 6-0, 205-pounder who began his career at Florida before transferring. His primary trait was physicality: he played downhill from the slot, tackled well in space and blitzed effectively, making 57 tackles, four for loss and 2.5 sacks as a senior starter.
His secondary trait was size and length for the position, which let him handle bigger slot receivers and tight ends. His ball production was modest, with two career interceptions, and he had no verified athletic testing. His signature was the development that took him from a Florida reserve to a nine-game starter on Minnesota's 11-win team.
Split-safety zone scheme that uses a big, physical nickel to support the run and blitz from the slot.
Year 1: special teams player and depth nickel. Ceiling: backup nickel and core special teamer.
Man-heavy scheme that asks its corners to run with speed receivers on the boundary every snap.
His physicality fit best in the slot and on coverage units.
Chris Williamson 2019 Highlights | MN Gophers
His senior season as Minnesota's starter.
Jersey Swap: Chris Williamson on the New York Giants!
Minnesota's draft-day feature on his selection.
Williamson projected as a physical, versatile defensive back whose limited starting experience and lack of testing made him a late-round depth and special teams option. Evaluators liked his size, tackling and blitz ability from the slot, but questioned his long speed and ball production.
A former four-star recruit, he played 14 games with one start over two seasons at Florida before transferring to Minnesota and sitting out 2017. He settled in as the Gophers' nickel in 2018, making 34 tackles, 3.5 for loss, a sack, an interception and four pass breakups in 11 games. As a senior he started nine of 13 games, making 57 tackles, four for loss, 2.5 sacks and a 43-yard interception return for a touchdown. He was not invited to the Combine and had no pro day because of the pandemic. The flags were his limited starting résumé, lack of testing and modest ball skills.
Most boards viewed him as a priority free agent. The Giants took him at No. 247 as a versatile special teams and depth defender.
- 01
Physicality
Played downhill from the slot and tackled well in space, making 57 tackles and four tackles for loss as a senior.
- 02
Blitz ability
Recorded 3.5 career sacks as a nickel, timing his pressures well and finishing at the quarterback.
- 03
Size and length
At 6-0 and 205 pounds he could match up with bigger slot receivers and tight ends in coverage.
- 04
Versatility
Played nickel and boundary corner at Minnesota, giving coaches flexibility across multiple defensive packages.
- 05
Special teams fit
His size, tackling and willingness to hit made him a natural fit for coverage units at the next level.
- 01
Limited starting experience
Started only 10 games in his college career, giving scouts a thin sample against top competition.
- 02
No athletic testing
Was not invited to the Combine and had no pro day, leaving his speed and agility unverified.
- 03
Modest ball skills
Recorded two interceptions and seven pass breakups in his career, limited production for a corner.
- 04
Long speed concerns
Could be stretched by faster receivers on vertical routes when aligned outside on the boundary.
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Florida | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2016 | Florida | 9 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2018 | Minnesota | 11 | 34 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| 2019 | Minnesota | 13 | 57 | 2.5 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| Career | — | 38 | 96 | 3.5 | 2 | 9 | 1 |
Season and career totals from Sports-Reference and Minnesota; passes defensed include interceptions. He sat out 2017 after transferring. Florida defensive stats for 2015 are blank rather than zero.
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
The realized outcome: a brief depth defensive back and special teamer.
Physical, versatile defensive back who stuck as a special teamer.
Big, physical depth corner who shuffled between rosters.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Williamson was waived by the Giants before the 2020 season and joined Atlanta, where he appeared in games in 2020 and 2021 and made five career NFL tackles, mostly on special teams. He later spent time on Detroit's practice squad in 2021 and with Tennessee in the 2022 offseason before his NFL career ended.
In hindsight the pick returned limited value for the Giants, who released him before he played a regular-season snap, though his size, physicality and tackling earned him a special teams role with Atlanta. The thin starting résumé and lack of testing flagged before the draft proved accurate, and he never developed into a regular defensive contributor. His rise from a Florida reserve to a Minnesota starter and draft pick was impressive, but at the NFL level he remained a special teams and practice squad player across four organizations, a common path for a late seventh-round defensive back.