Florida State draft prospect P.J. Williams was arrested early this morning in Leon County for driving under the influence, according to Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Williams is considered a top-five cornerback in this year’s draft.
Williams, 21, earned Defensive MVP honors in the BCS Championship game a year ago as a sophomore, logging seven tackles and an interception. He built on that performance in his junior year with the Seminoles, recording 60 tackles to go along with an interception, a forced fumble, and a sack. While he projects as a possible first-round pick based on his talent, this isn’t the first time Williams has run into trouble off the field.
Last October, Williams was involved in an early-morning car accident and fled the scene of the incident, leaving his wrecked vehicle in the street. Williams, who had been driving with a suspended license, received only a pair of traffic tickets rather than being charged with a hit and run. Police did not test him for alcohol.
Williams’ arrest today for DUI automatically places him in the NFL’s substance abuse program, and figures to hurt his draft stock. With teams becoming increasingly wary of players with off-field question marks, the young cornerback is extremely unlikely to be selected in the first round, and it figures to require a leap of faith for a team to even make him a second-day selection.