Former Hickory Ridge star Garrett Williams heads to Arizona in NFL Draft
Former Hickory Ridge star Garrett Williams was the first Charlotte-area player picked in the 2023 NFL Draft on Friday night. He is also the first player from his high school to be drafted.
Williams, a 5-foot-10, 192-pound cornerback from Syracuse, was picked No. 72 overall by Arizona. He was the ninth overall selection in the third round.
Williams was projected as a second-round pick before sustaining a knee injury in the seventh game of the 2022 season.
In college at Syracuse, Williams earned freshman All-American honors in 2020 and was an All-ACC selection in 2021.
Coming out of high school, Williams was a three-star recruit and only had in-state offers from Appalachian State, Campbell, Charlotte and East Carolina.
Before his junior year in high school, Williams was a quarterback, battling for a starting job. But he moved to defensive back during a summer 7-on-7 tournament when a teammate got injured.
“I went over there,” Williams told The Observer this month, “and I think I finished with five interceptions on the weekend, and then after that I just stuck there.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2023 at 10:01 PM.
