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More combine – Notebook: Deep free-agent freeze?

INDIANAPOLIS – He'd never seen tape on the kid, but less than 48 hours into this week's NFL scouting combine, Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera was already on a first-name basis with Mario Williams' reputation.

Super Mario. Big, fast and destructive – like a heat-seeking missile.

"I've been hearing all the buzz from (coaches and scouts) about him," Rivera said of the North Carolina State standout. "With the kind of size he has – (and) the kind of speed and agility – he's going to be a good rush end for somebody. (Carolina Panthers defensive end) Julius Peppers is a strong comparison. … With the speed, maybe he is a Peppers."

At the very least, Williams is bringing a total package the NFL hasn't seen in a defensive end since Peppers came into the league four years ago.

Williams is big and agile enough to play in a 4-3 or 3-4 defense, yet fast enough to drop into coverage or stand up at outside linebacker. While other ends like Penn State's Tamba Hali and Boston College's Mathias Kiwanuka bring pass-rushing skills, Williams might be the only player in this year's draft who has the size and athleticism to line up anywhere in the front seven.

Barring a setback in combine drills, Williams is expected to be the first defensive player off the board – possibly to the Green Bay Packers at No. 5.

"He has had some up-and-down games, as most people do, but he's a tremendously talented kid," Packers general manager Ted Thompson said of Williams. "… He looks like what you draw up. You want him to get off the bus first."

Standing 6-foot-7 and weighing in this week at 295 pounds, Williams is absurdly sculpted – like someone split open a block of limestone and found him at the center. It's a body that reigned terror in the ACC last season, when Williams finished with 14½ sacks and 24 tackles for a loss.

The numbers could have been far more astronomical had Williams found his groove earlier in his junior year. After consistently defeating double teams in his first two seasons, opponents adjusted their schemes against him, employing cut blocks to take away his speed rush. That translated into one sack in his first six games and led to an eventual shift in his style that drew him closer to blockers. The way Williams figured it, opponents couldn't cut him if he was able to get his hands on them first.

The adjustment was so sound that he notched 13½ sacks in his last six games, including 3½ sacks against Southern Mississippi, a four-sack performance against Maryland and a dominating bowl win over South Florida despite constant double-teaming (four tackles for a loss and 1½ sacks).

Declared South Florida running back (and fellow combine participant) Andre Hall: "That Mario guy is an animal. He was a man among boys that day."

Despite declaring for the draft as a junior, Williams' three-year totals were impressive: In 36 games, he recorded 175 tackles, 25½ sacks, 52 tackles for a loss and 41 quarterback pressures. While Williams truly exploded as a pass rusher for N.C. State in 2005, he has consistently been one of the Wolfpack's best players since arriving as one of the nation's top defensive recruits out of Richlands High in North Carolina.

Williams started from Day 1 and was named a freshman All-American by almost every voting body in college football. A year later, he improved in every statistical category despite playing two fewer games, setting up monster expectations as a junior. Even though his college stats don't quite stack up to what Peppers notched at North Carolina, many thought Williams would return to N.C. State as a senior to challenge for college football's Defensive Player of the Year award.

"I had a pretty good run there at the end and (felt) that my opportunity for the next level was pretty good right now," Williams said of his decision to leave school a year early. "I just didn't want to maybe (have) something happen next year, whether it was on the field or off the field that might mess up my chances."

Only a bad string of workouts could prevent Williams from becoming the draft's top defensive prospect. But he expects to perform well, including a solid 40-yard dash time.

"(My last 40 time) was fast enough. I don't want to spoil it right now," said Williams, adding that he plans to do the full slate of workouts at the combine. "… It'll be faster than a 4.8, put it that way."

For a player as big as Williams, anything in the realm of 4.6 to 4.7 seconds would be eye-popping, but most teams will pay more attention to his 10-yard splits and agility times. Even then, the numbers don't equate to his total value. His size and versatility – in a league that loves to be able to move impact defensive players around – weighs just as heavily in Williams' final grade.

"His combination is rare," Rivera said. "He could play end in a 3-4 with his size, but he's fast enough that he doesn't have to. Defensive ends that big, with speed, are so rare. That means a 4-3 suits him just as well."

"I played defensive tackle, outside linebacker and defensive end this year," Williams said of his flexibility to fit any scheme. "And I moved up and down the line, so sometimes I had to put my left hand down, and sometimes my right hand.

"(The versatility) is why I wanted to show that I can weigh 295, and you'll see the (drill) times Monday. I can do whatever. I can play the 3-4. I can play the 4-3. If you want me back at linebacker I can do that coming off the edge. My main goal coming into this was to be versatile and let the teams put me where they want to.

"It's all about the team. Put me where I fit it."

It may only be February, but a top-five slot seems just about right.

Charles Robinson is a national NFL writer for Yahoo! Sports. Send Charles a question or comment for potential use in a future column or webcast.

Updated on Sunday, Feb 26, 2006 3:32 pm, EST

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