Texas star Connor Williams skipping minor bowl game before leaving for NFL draft

Bowl season begins less than a month from now, and college players will begin making their decisions regarding the 2018 NFL draft. On Monday afternoon, Texas left tackle Connor Williams announced he would be missing the Longhorns’ bowl game, and that he will forgo his senior season to enter the draft next April.

Williams missed the majority of his junior season thanks to a knee injury suffered in Week 3 against USC that kept him sidelined. He made a return during the Longhorns’ Nov. 18 game against West Virginia, which helped the Longhorns immensely:

Since losing Williams, the Longhorns have struggled with rushers coming free relatively easily on the left side and an inability to run consistently in that direction. Against a West Virginia defensive line that isn’t especially strong, Williams made a huge difference.

The quarterbacks could stand in the pocket with confidence in their blind side remaining protected. Running backs Daniel Young and Kyle Porter ran in that direction on a two-play touchdown drive that stretched the lead to 21-7 late in the third quarter.

As former standout offensive lineman Dan Neill noted on the Longhorn Network, the steady presence and physicality of Williams boosted the rest of the offensive line and the entire team.

Williams didn’t have to return this season — he could have opted for surgery or protected his draft status by sitting out, but he wanted to play and help out his team. On Saturday, he did that in a big way.

During his three seasons in Austin, he played in and started 27 games in his career. His draft stock is pretty high, and him leaving Texas wasn’t unexpected, as Burnt Orange Nation mentioned on Monday:

Often rated as the top offensive tackle in the country, Williams wasn’t able to put a lot on film this season, and wasn’t particularly good before his injury, but his athleticism, strength, and film from previous seasons should guarantee that he’s a top-10 selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. A drop into the second half of the first round would be surprising.

Odds of leaving: 100%

We’ve seen players with high draft stocks skip bowl games before — last year, running backs Leonard Fournette and Christian McCaffrey skipped their bowl games, and they both ended up as top-10 picks, which was where they were projected to land. Given that the Longhorns have just six wins, the bowl game Williams will miss will be a minor one.

Best of luck to Williams with this next step in his career.