Sam Williams "has the gifts,'' as Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy recently said.
But as he told CowboysSI.com this week at OTAs, he is busy trying to acquire more "gifts.''
He spends a great deal of time, he told us, picking the brain of pass-rush teammates DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. And on Thursday, he worked under the tutelage of volunteer mentor Hall-of-Famer Charles Haley.
What do they work on? Williams mentioned using a "move to set up a move,'' "hand placement'' and "get-off.''
"Those guys are some of the great pass-rushers,'' he said. "I'm a good pass-rusher. I want to get to be like them.''
The Dallas coaching staff seems to think that might happen, and is not holding back in its praise for second-round rookie Williams, who is already making a strong impression here inside The Star.
McCarthy is raving about Williams, a defensive end out of Ole Miss, saying, “I think we’d all agree that Sam Williams looks like a guy that was born to play professional football.''
This mirrors what defensive coordinator Dan Quinn recalled from when he first saw Williams in person at an Ole Miss pre-draft workout.
"Leaving the field that day, I remember telling Mike, 'Man I'd really like to coach that guy.' So that's a good feeling to have."
The Cowboys believe they did their research and cleared up any behavior concerns about Williams (see "I Didn't Do Anything'' here). And now they seem to be instant believers in the guy they made the 56th overall pick. ... coming to a roster looking to replace free-agent loss Randy Gregory.
Said McCarthy: “He has the gifts. He has the physical traits. He had two pass rushes (Friday and) ... he was clean in the backfield. He has that kind of ability. He’s in a great place.''
Williams is pleased as well - with the coaches and with this "place.'' He joked that when he made a 30 visit to DFW, he considered missing "my flight on purpose so I wouldn't have to leave.''
And now that he's here? He might as we try to emulate the pass-rush "gifts'' of the likes of Micah, Tank and Haley.
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