Leonard Williams Press Conference

In the 1st round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the NY Jets selected Leonard Williams from USC. Williams spoke to the media and answered some questions, the full transcript appears below.

On his reaction being drafted by the Jets…
It was a big surprise to me you know. Knowing that when I got to the Jets and their pick was on the line, I thought they were going to go with someone on offense or something like that just because the Jets are already known for having such a great d-line and I was really surprised but also really excited to be a part of a great tradition and a great d-line.

On what was going through his mind after not being selected in the first five picks…
Not much was going through my mind. I expected anything because you can never trust the mock drafts and all that type of stuff, but my family wanted me go to a Florida team just so I could be closer to home, or go to LA just because I’m from California, but either way going to the Jets, they’re so proud of me and it was really exciting to see them put on their Jets hats and see all those guys in green and white. It was pretty cool.

On what Mike Maccagnan or Todd Bowles said to him when he got the call…
They just asked how am I doing and they were like, “Are you ready to put on that green and white,” and I was just like, ‘Wow, yes sir.’ I was really so excited to hear from those guys and to hear how passionate and happy they were to get me. Talking to the head coach, he was telling me, he was like remember I told you if you dropped to the Jets, I was going to get you and he stayed to his word, so I appreciated it.

On how he will fit in on the defensive line…
Really, playing the 3-4, I know I’m going to be a defensive end in that kind of scheme and I think it’s really cool coming into a group that is pretty young, but also they’re veterans and they are pros at what they do. I think it’s really cool to be coming in at such a young age and as a rookie and having such great d-linemen to model my game after. I really don’t know where I’m going to fit in exactly, but I’m going to leave that up to the coaches when I get there.

On whether he was told by Coach Bowles during his visit that he was going to be selected by the Jets if he was still available…
I mean he didn’t really promise me or anything like that. He was basically telling me that I was a great player, and that he would love to have me there and stuff like that and then he was just saying he would be surprised if you fall that far though. That was kind of basically the end of it.

On how his shoulder is doing…
My shoulders have actually been great. They haven’t been a problem for me or even a question for a long time and leading up until this point, every time I have an opportunity to work out, after every lift, I also make sure that I do rehab just to keep making sure I stabilize my shoulders-not that they still hurt, but just to maintain them and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

On how long ago it was that he had a shoulder injury…
I had a shoulder surgery at the end of my sophomore season. I’ve already played a whole season on it and I didn’t miss a game this last season, so it proves that the surgery went well and the process has been great.

On which should he hurt…
It was my right shoulder. It was a posterior labrum.

On whether he is coming into the league with something to prove…
Definitely, but more than anything, I just want to prove, not really prove other teams wrong, but just really prove the Jets right. I really want them to be proud of their decision and I want them to know that I’m coming in with a lot of passion and (I’m) willing to put whatever it takes on the line to make a lot of great plays and be successful.