INDIANAPOLIS — Isaiah Williams could’ve transferred the moment Illinois coach Bret Bielema mentioned switching from quarterback to wide receiver going into the 2021 season. That’s what a lot of players would do.
Williams admitted it was “very difficult” but called it one of the best moves he ever made. He was All-Big Ten as a junior last season with 82 catches for 1,055 yards and five touchdowns and hoped to use the NFL Scouting Combine to propel his stock out of the late rounds.
“If it’s something I can fix and something I can be better at, I’m not about to leave that situation because I’m gonna have that same problem somewhere else,” he said of staying at Illinois as a wide receiver. “I’m gonna fight where I’m at and keep getting better where I’m at. . . . There was never a [thought] about leaving.
“I probably would never be up here talking to y’all if I was still at quarterback. I probably could’ve broken a lot of records at quarterback, but for my future, receiver was the best move.”
There was some question about why Williams, who’s 5-10 and 185 pounds, would leave college early when he wasn’t projected to be a high draft pick. While he was tempted to return for his senior season and would’ve had NIL money if he had, his ambition led him to declare for the draft.
“The biggest thing for me was, ‘Am I ready to make that jump?’ ” he said. “I’m ready to compete against the best. . . . Go chase your dream.
“I’m gonna bet on myself. I know a lot of guys have me as a wait-around guy, and I’m not the top guy, but I’m cool with that. I’ve got no problem showing people that I can ball.”
Rouse’s legacy
Oklahoma offensive tackle Walter Rouse’s grandfather is one of the great sports heroes in Chicago history.
On March 23, 1963, Vic Rouse, a forward at Loyola, made a buzzer-beating basket to win the NCAA title. He rebounded a missed shot in overtime and put it in to beat Cincinnati, who was aiming for its third consecutive championship.
Rouse, whose jersey is retired by Loyola, died in 1999. Walter never knew him.
“Through my aunt and my grandmother and my dad, I felt like I knew him in a way,” he said Saturday.
Rouse’s first love also was basketball. He said his devotion to academics came from his grandfather, too, and wants to be a doctor when he’s done playing football. His grandfather earned a bachelor’s degree, three master’s degrees and a doctorate before he died at 56.
Rouse is projected to go in the middle-to-late rounds of the draft next month.
Opting out
Quarterback Jayden Daniels and wide receiver Malik Nabers, both from LSU, declined to take part in official measurements and will instead do it at their pro day.
Daniels is vying to be the next quarterback selected after consensus top draft pick Caleb Williams, and Nabers is right there with Washington’s Rome Odunze as the No. 2 receiver behind Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr.
Nabers and Odunze are logical Bears targets at No. 9.
Well, that was fast
Projected second-round pick Xavier Worthy set the NFL-combine record by running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds. That certainly could help move the Texas wide receiver into the first round.
