Cleveland Browns

Sleeper in the secondary: PFF calls K'Waun Williams 'secret superstar'

Published Jun. 15, 2015 3:16 p.m. ET

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K'Waun Williams came out of nowhere to be the Browns' nickel corner last season.

Plucked out of the University of Pittsburgh, the undersized Williams had a hard time earning a rookie tryout with a team besides his hometown Steelers. Fortunately, secondary coach Jeff Hafley knew of Williams' potential from his days as a Pitt assistant, and the rest is history.

Williams quickly emerged as the Browns' third cornerback last season behind Joe Haden and Buster Skrine and outperformed No. 8 overall pick Justin Gilbert. Pro Football Focus ranked Williams as the 13th best cornerback in the NFL, although his 341 snaps were by far the lowest among the top 30 corners.

Williams didn't shy away from contact despite his 5-foot-9, 183-pound frame, but his aggressiveness did lead to a pair of concussions in his rookie season, which caused him to miss three games.

With eight pounds of muscle added in the offseason, Pro Football Focus has named Williams a 'secret superstar' on the Browns roster, joining John Hughes, John Greco, and T.J. Ward from the previous three seasons, respectively.

Williams figures to enter training camp at the lead nickel corner behind Haden and free-agent signee Traman Williams, while Gilbert looks to rebound from a wasted rookie campaign. Obviously, the folks at Pro Football Focus think the young Williams is trending up.

h/t: Dawgs By Nature