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Mario Williams
Mario Williams

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There was shock, amazement and mayhem all rolled into one day for Mario Williams. The day he was drafted will be the day that everyone remembers how his new team, the Houston Texans, passed on possibly the next Barry Sanders.

With the first overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Texans chose Williams over USC superstar running back Reggie Bush. To the amazement of many, Houston felt that it needed to address its defense before adding a running back.

He could be the next Julius Peppers or Andre Wadsworth, but there arguably will be more eyes on Bush’s career than Williams. Forever, he will be linked to Bush and vice versa, but that shouldn’t take away what a tremendous athlete the Texans selected.

After a bit of a sluggish start, Williams eventually contributed 35 tackles and 4.5 sacks last year in his first NFL season. He has the tools and physical abilities to become Peppers, but just like any young player, he’ll need more seasoning before anyone could say he should or shouldn’t have been the first overall selection in ‘06.

Williams was a major force in his second season, recording 59 tackles, two forced-fumbles and 14 sacks. People who said he was a bust after his rookie season got a dose of what he can do in the NFL and the sky is now the limit for this young star.

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Career

Houston Texans Official Player Bio: Mario Williams
The Houston Texans official website offers personal and career highlights as well as stats and photos on Williams.

NFL.com Player Profile: Mario Williams
Find a small profile, game logs, stats and merchandise on Mario Williams NFL.com. 

Rotoworld Player Page: Mario Williams
Rotoworld.com has some of the best fantasy reporting and advice on the web. Click on the “Previous News” tab to get current and past information on Mario Williams for your fantasy football team. 

Mario Williams Wikipedia Page
Find a comprehensive background on Mario Williams’ life and football career at Wikipedia.com.


Latest on Williams

Williams was a major force in his second season, recording 59 tackles, two forced-fumbles and 14 sacks. People who said he was a bust after his rookie season got a dose of what he can do in the NFL and the sky is now the limit for this young star.


News and Commentary

Scores Report
Check out why Williams was a good fit for the Texans at The Scores Report, the National Sports Blog.

Snubbing Bush a Texans-size blunder
Len Pasqaurelli of ESPN.com is just one of many analyst who think the Houston Texans made a huge mistake in taking Mario Williams over Reggie Bush. (ESPN.com INSIDER subscription required)

Texans banking on Super Mario
By making him their first overall selection in the ’06 NFL Draft, the Texans are putting a ton of stock in defensive end Mario Williams.  


Mario Says

On the reception he's gotten from Houston fans, despite the team's decision to pass on Reggie Bush:
"I've heard about what happened. But every time I go out around town, I never get a bad vibe from anybody. Everywhere I go, it's crazy: pictures, autographs, 'Welcome to Houston, we're glad to have you.'"

On dating and females since he's become an NFL player:
"In college, the girls didn't want me. People tell me, 'Mario, you don't get pretty overnight.' But now, every time I go out, they're like, 'Oh, Mario! Why haven't you called me?' They're (instant-messaging) me all the time. You get a lot of people throwing themselves at you. I just try to avoid those situations."

On maturing:
"They say as you get older, times go by faster. It's true. It's like I'm watching myself in a movie."