Nice that Norfolk's Jack Williams didn't take it all literally.
Otherwise, a football player called a "sleeper" for so long couldn't have kept his eyes open long enough to intercept 13 passes in four college seasons.
He would have been caught napping as receivers flashed past him down the sideline. Would have rolled over and punched "snooze" when it was time to hoist iron and pack more wallop into his 5-foot-9, 180-pound body.
Williams, of course, yawned through nothing since he left Booker T. Washington High and went to, by his account, the only Division I team that would take him - Kent State in Ohio.
You had to work to follow his path; the Golden Flashes of the Mid-American Conference won 15 games in Williams' four seasons, and never went to a bowl. But Williams, a cornerback, easily played above that level.
It started early: Williams carried his first interception in his first game as a redshirt freshman 99 yards to the end zone against Iowa. He graduated last winter third on Kent State's career interception list.
He established himself as an in-your-facemask cover man. An enthusiastic tackler - 19 against Central Michigan last season qualifies as enthusiastic, yes?
And as a junior, Williams shared the national lead in
forcing five fumbles. Two came in a loss at Virginia Tech, when Williams had nine tackles and a sack.
All of that would be good for anyone, let alone a sensitive sort who wears a grudge on his sleeve, next to the dreamscape tattoo of his own design.
"Definitely, there was a chip on my shoulder every time I stepped on the field," Williams said. "That was another team that didn't recruit me....
"I was always 'too small' to do this or that. The only thing nobody ever said about me was I was slow. I've always had to make sure I work harder than everybody. Get there early and stay later has been my motto. "
Had you perused The Pilot's 2002 All-Tidewater football team and played "Bet Your Paycheck" based on pro potential, your investment would've been in Western Branch's Vince Hall, who'd just won Gatorade's state high school Player of the Year award.
That would have paid; Hall starred as a Virginia Tech linebacker and is expected to be chosen fairly late in this weekend's seven-round NFL draft. But there appears every chance that Williams, an '02 All-Tidewater honoree, will beat Hall into the pros from at least a middle-round slot.
"I'm not surprised, because Jack is very talented and always had such a good work ethic," said former Booker T. coach Larry Stepney, who coached Williams' fraternal twin, John, as well. "And if you looked up 'student-athlete,' there'd be an asterisk by his name. He was the total package."
Nonetheless, Williams struggled to post a satisfactory SAT score - his ACT result eventually was better - and most colleges lost his scent. Kent State coach Dean Pees, however, found Williams late and was rewarded, although Pees departed for the NFL the next year.
"I was getting real scared, because I really didn't know what would happen if I didn't get that scholarship offer," Williams recalled. "I know my parents couldn't have paid for college."
Finally, a Kent assistant coach told Williams an offer would come if he was invited to visit campus.
"Sure enough they called that night and said come on a visit," Williams said. "I cried right there on the phone, because I knew what that meant."
It's intriguing to wonder whether Pees - now defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots - and Williams could soon reunite. The Pats are among many teams said to be eyeing Williams, at minimum, as a classic third corner and special-teams yeoman.
Tampa Bay, Indianapolis and Cleveland are interested, too, although only the Atlanta Falcons sent both their general manager and coach to watch Williams run drills at Kent State.
Williams opened more eyes when he bench-pressed 225 pounds 19 times at the NFL combine, fifth-best among the cornerbacks in Indianapolis. He also was seventh in the vertical jump, but he ran a poor 40-yard time for him, 4.43 seconds.
However, at his ensuing on-campus workout, Williams jumped nearly 6 inches higher than at the combine and trimmed more than a tenth of a second from his 40, just as he envisioned.
"The whole time after the combine, my agent was like, 'Just get 4.34 in your head. Whatever your mind tells it, your body will do,' " Williams said. "He'd text me every day, '4.34,' and I'd text '4.34' back."
Williams clocked 4.32.
"We've seen some talent in the defensive backfield," said Scott Booker, Kent State's secondary coach, who had Williams' friend and fellow corner, Usama Young, drafted by New Orleans in last year's third round.
Williams is 3 inches shorter than Young, but Booker said he compensates with extraordinary tenacity and ball-hawking skills.
"A lot of times corners play corner because they're not able to catch the ball as well as receivers," Booker said. "But Jack catches the ball well. If he gets his hands on it, he's able to come down with it."
So look now what's within this sleeper's grasp - his own place on the proverbial next level. It's a dream, all right, but very real. And so very close.
Tom Robinson, (757) 446-2518, tom.robinson@pilotonline.com
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Good Luck to all
you see, all of our athletes are not thugs as some think they are. They are good kids, and for him to make it out of BTW says a lot. To all the future NFL stars, make sure you come back home to your community and help more young kids reach their potential, and if you are selected by the Raiders, give me some tickets.