Top Jets draft pick Quinnen Williams is two different people

The New York Jets landed one of the most disruptive defenders in the country when they selected Alabama’s Quinnen Williams with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft.

Williams rose quickly from little-known backup to dominant force for the Crimson Tide last season, establishing himself as arguably the best overall prospect in this year’s draft class.

A redshirt sophomore, Williams made the early jump to the pros despite having two years of college eligibility still available to him. Making such a move is typically reserved for the most rare prospects, and Williams certainly qualifies.

Williams is a monster on the football field, but he’s quick to point out that he’s a much different person off the field, with a wide range of interests:

"Everything I do, I try to dominate."#TakeFlight | @QuinnenWilliams pic.twitter.com/YnEErr8Oe5

— New York Jets (@nyjets) May 17, 2019

“My personality on the field is a way different person than my personality in real life,” Williams said. “I also like playing video games, fishing hunting. I’m trying to get more into becoming a man. I like to read a lot, but not really read. I like to listen to people read. It’s kind of funny.”

Williams is big on family, and being surrounded by those closest to him on draft night was an unforgettable moment for the No. 3 overall pick.

“Having my sister, my brother, my grandmother and everybody around me to enjoy the moment with me, becoming an NFL football player, was just amazing,” Williams recalled.

The moment was bittersweet for Williams, however, who lost his mother when he was just 12 years old.

“My whole life, I’ve worked this hard to make my mom proud,” says Williams of his late mother. “She passed away when I was 12, so my 12 years of having her, she was just a huge person in my life who taught me a lot of stuff that I still use to this day, and I’ll always use. I gave her all the credit for me getting to this spot, because if she would have never instilled the stuff that she instilled in me, I probably wouldn’t be here to this day.”

While fans will no doubt see the dominant, disruptive force Williams will be between the lines on Sundays, they shouldn’t forget the many facets of their new top draft pick.