Kendall Williamson goes to Chicago Bears in 7th Round of 2023 NFL Draft
On Saturday, Stanford fifth-year safety Kendall Williamson was selected by the Chicago Bears in the 7th round (258th overall pick) of the 2023 NFL Draft. Williamson was the fifth and final Cardinal player drafted, following Elijah Higgins. In my breakdown of Stanford’s 2023 NFL Draft prospects, I wrote of Williamson:
Kendall Williamson played five years at Stanford and is a really physical safety, listed at 6’0”, 203 pounds. He’s very aggressive and was one of the better hitters if not the best hitter on Stanford’s defense last season. He knows how to put the hurt on opposing players and plays with the right mentality. He has a good feel for the game.
Despite playing for a defense that really struggled, Williamson found ways to still make plays last season and that speaks well of him. He did a good job of doing his assignment and doing all that was asked of him. There weren’t any games where you felt like the defense struggled because of Williamson. He was always a bright spot for the defense.
In regard to weaknesses, there’s a lot of safeties that are his size and if anything, he might be on the slightly smaller side of the safety spectrum. And while he did a good job of fulfilling his assignments and making the right reads, he wasn’t an explosive defensive player, either. He didn’t get a lot of takeaways or make a lot of big-time plays. He was sound and steady in his role, which isn’t bad. He just didn’t seem to have that top-end playmaking ability that other safeties have had.
Regarding his draft projection, I’m putting Williamson in the 6th round to undrafted range. Maybe somebody takes a flyer on him in one of those final two rounds. And if doesn’t get selected, someone is likely to sign him to a training camp deal and see what he can bring.
Williamson was around 50/50 in terms of whether or not he’d get drafted and fortunately for him, he did here his name called, even if it did come at the very end of the draft. The Bears are getting a guy who plays physical, knows how to hit, and was a real leader in the Cardinal secondary. If he can improve his ball-hawking skills, he’s got a chance to find a permanent home in Chicago.
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