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A day after we learned that one draft prospect may have done some damage to his draft stock, another prospect got some good news. Florida State cornerback P.J. Williams was arrested on April 3 on suspicion of DUI. He pled not guilty to the charge, and on Monday, the charges were dismissed. The state's attorney's office provided the following reasoning:
"[U]pon review of the video evidence from the law enforcement officer's patrol vehicle, as well as the video evidence obtained from the Leon County Jail, the state is unable" to prove that Williams was driving and that his faculties were impaired by alcohol. The state attorney's office wrote that "significant portions of the DUI investigation were not captured on video due to the positioning of the officer's patrol vehicle" and that "although the officer had probable cause for the defendant's arrest, the evidence before the State is not sufficient to sustain a conviction at trial."
We don't know exactly what went down, so we are left to some measure of speculation. The state attorney's office seems to infer Williams caught a break with this. It is also possible Williams did nothing wrong and the office is using this as a bit of cover for the officer. I don't know for certain, but either way, Williams will not face charges.
I don't know that this necessarily does anything to Williams's draft stock. I'm sure he had plenty of opportunities to talk about the DUI during pre-draft visits. According to Tony Pauline, Williams met with the Cowboys, Lions and Ravens. I'm guessing he met with more than that, but we have no further reports.
Williams is viewed as a top 50 talent, with Poldarn's composite big board ranking him No. 37. He could be in line to go early on day two, depending on how the cornerback market shapes up. If the San Francisco 49ers do not take a cornerback in the first round, maybe they make a move on Williams, or other such talents on day two. Personally, I see them waiting until day three at the position, but we'll see in a couple days.