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OWINGS MILLS — LaQuan Williams burst off the line, quickly gaining a step on the defensive back covering him.
Then, just as the defensive back had started to regain ground 15 yards down the field, Williams, full speed at that point, planted his foot in the ground, quickly cutting towards the middle of the field on a beautifully executed post route, completely fooling the covering defensive back and leaving himself streaking wide-open toward to the end zone.
Yet, even wide open, Ravens rookie quarterback Tyrod Taylor, throwing to Williams during that round of one-on-one drills during the first week of training camp, let go of what looked to be an errant, overthrown ball, destined to be too far out of reach for Williams to catch up to.
But as soon as he saw the ball was overthrown, Williams kicked into full gear, eventually catching up to the ball just short of the end zone before reaching out and extending for an impressive fingertip catch, which drew a chorus of ooh’s and aah’s from observing teammates and coaches.
Williams, a former wide receiver/special teams standout at the University of Maryland, was signed by the Ravens as an undrafted free agent just prior to the start of training camp. But while the Ravens were looking for Williams to come in and compete for a spot on special teams, he has actually spent the early part of training camp impressing many with his play at wide receiver, including coach John Harbaugh.
“The thing about LaQuan, his career in college was so much about special teams,” Harbaugh said. “He was a standout special teams player, but then he’s come out here and made some great catches so far.”
Williams, a Baltimore native and Poly graduate, earned Maryland’s special teams captain award at their end of the year banquet following last season. He tallied 12 special teams tackles during the season, also recording two blocked punts and a forced fumble.
At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Williams said he ran in the 4.4 range in the 40-yard dash at the Terrapins’ Pro Day in March.
As a wide receiver at Maryland, Williams caught just 18 passes during his final three college seasons, starting just four games during that span, after hauling in 15 catches for 217 yards as a redshirt freshman in 2007.
Viewed as a relative long shot to make the Ravens roster, Williams said he is eager to prove his talent to the Ravens, both as a special teams player and as a receiver.
“I’m hungry,” Williams said. “I’ve got a lot to prove, both offensively and on special teams. I just want to show my talent, and what I’m capable of, and hopefully everything will work out.”
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