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Quinnen Williams is in awe of his New York Jets teammates, and it's just adorable

Eric Edholm

A year ago, Quinnen Williams was fighting for a starting spot at Alabama.

Now the No. 3 overall pick of the New York Jets in the 2019 NFL draft, Williams has seen his stardom explode in the past several months. He’s still apparently getting used to it all.

In fact, Williams — who spoke to the New York media on Friday — said he was “just a little fan” of some of the Jets’ players who are now his teammates.

“I met Leonard Williams, and I am like ... man, he’s a beast!,” Quinnen Williams said of his namesake. “... We just worked out a little bit and just talked football. Talked about the NFL, his goals, how his rookie year went ...”

Quinnen Williams met Leonard Williams before

Quinnen Williams might have been in awe of Leonard Williams, but it was not after the draft. It was actually two months before.

Here’s a picture from February of Williams and Williams in the gym:

They’ll be spending most of their time together now in the Jets’ facility, as well as close to each other on the defensive line under coordinator Gregg Williams. (Yes, that’s a lot of Williamses.) It could help revive a defense that has been middling at best in recent years.

Leonard and Quinnen met during the pre-draft process, and Leonard had some really positive things to say about his future teammate — before the Jets used the third pick on Quinnen this spring.

"My impression of him is he's a stud," Leonard Williams said of Quinnen Williams, via the team’s official site. "But at the same time, he's a kid, and in a good way. He doesn't feel like he knows everything. He's still light-hearted. When I saw him in California, he was just training really hard, asking me questions, trying to be a sponge and learn as much as possible.

And after the pick was made, the veteran quote tweeted the rookie with a message: “Respect bro! Come to NY and get some of these double teams off me.”

And that’s not the only Jets player he’s in awe with

You might not think the Jets are loaded with star power, but don’t tell Quinnen Williams that. He was more than willing to gush over his other new teammates.

“When I get to meet people, I am like, ‘Bro, that’s crazy,’ ” he said. “I got to meet Le’Veon Bell yesterday. And I am like, ‘Whoa, that’s the No. 1 running back in the NFL!’ It’s just crazy.”

Williams also was excited about meeting Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams, other players he’s watched and respected in college. Now they’re part of a promising rebuilding effort together in New York. And the bottom line is that Quinnen Williams must be a big part of that. He knows this, as well.

“I know I am one of those people, too,” he said sheepishly.

And Williams said he’s going to try to “dominate” at anything he’s asked to do. Including even ... kickoff return?

Watch:

Is Quinnen Williams too nice? Think again

Lest you think this nice-guy routine won’t fly in the NFL, we advise you:

  1. Watch him dominate SEC opponents week in and week out last season

  2. And have a listen to these words ...

“Whatever quarterback [it is] ... I'm gonna go out there and try to sack every last quarterback,” he said. “... Every game I am going to play the same way.”

And Williams just might be doing it with a smile on his face.

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