Greedy Williams did not need a long LSU career to leave a major mark.

After redshirting in 2016, Williams became an immediate starter in 2017 and quickly established himself as one of the best young cornerbacks in college football. In just two playing seasons, he started all 24 games in which he appeared, intercepted eight passes, earned All America honors in both seasons and finished his LSU career as a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award.

His LSU career was brief, but it was packed with production and recognition. That is enough to earn Andraez “Greedy” Williams the No. 100 spot on the LSU Football Report list of the 100 greatest LSU football players of all time.

A Louisiana Standout From Shreveport

Williams was born December 3, 1997, in Shreveport and attended Calvary Baptist Academy.

He helped Calvary Baptist win consecutive state championships in 2013 and 2014. By the end of his high school career, Williams had recorded 170 tackles, 10 pass breakups and five interceptions. As a senior, he finished with 47 tackles and two interceptions while helping Calvary Baptist to a 9 and 3 record.

Recruiting services viewed him as one of Louisiana’s better defensive back prospects. Scout, 247Sports and ESPN rated him as a four star recruit, while Rivals gave him three stars. According to 247Sports, Williams ranked as the No. 20 cornerback nationally and the No. 13 player in Louisiana.

Football talent also ran in the family. His older brother, Rodarius Williams, played cornerback at Oklahoma State and later reached the NFL. Greedy also grew up playing youth football with future LSU linebacker Devin White.

Even his nickname had been with him almost his entire life. Williams explained after entering the NFL that a family member began calling him “Greedy” when he was an infant because of how much milk he drank. The nickname stuck, and it eventually became one of the most memorable names in college football.

A Redshirt Year Before the Breakout

Williams arrived at LSU in 2016 but did not play as a true freshman.

He redshirted.

That season gave him time to develop physically and learn LSU’s defensive system. When his opportunity arrived in 2017, Williams did not ease his way into the lineup.

He became a starter immediately.

From that point forward, LSU never took him out of the starting lineup.

Six Interceptions in His First Season

Williams started every game at left cornerback as a redshirt freshman in 2017.

He intercepted six passes.

That total led the SEC.

Williams also finished with 38 tackles, 11 pass breakups and 17 passes defended when LSU’s total includes both interceptions and breakups.

His interceptions came against BYU, Chattanooga, Syracuse, Arkansas, Texas A&M and Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl.

Against Syracuse, Williams intercepted the first pass of the game and returned it 28 yards. That play gave LSU fans an early look at the instincts and ball skills that would define his career.

Williams became the first LSU player since Craig Steltz in 2007 to lead the SEC in interceptions.

The awards followed.

He earned third team All America recognition from the Associated Press, Freshman All SEC honors from the conference coaches, first team All SEC recognition from the media and second team All SEC honors from the coaches.

One year after sitting out as a redshirt, Williams had become one of the most productive cornerbacks in the SEC.

Another Star in the DBU Line

Williams arrived during an extraordinary stretch for LSU defensive backs.

Patrick Peterson had won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2010. Morris Claiborne won it in 2011. Tyrann Mathieu became a Heisman Trophy finalist. Eric Reid, Tre’Davious White and Jamal Adams continued the tradition.

Williams became another link in the chain.

At 6 feet 3 and 184 pounds during his final LSU season, he had the frame NFL teams wanted at outside cornerback. He also had the instincts and ball skills necessary to turn opportunities into takeaways.

That combination made him especially dangerous.

Quarterbacks could not simply challenge him over and over and expect to get away with it.

His six interceptions in his first season made that clear.

Greedy Becomes a First Team All American

Williams returned in 2018 as one of the biggest names on LSU’s defense.

He started all 12 regular season games before choosing not to play in the Fiesta Bowl as he prepared for the NFL Draft.

Williams finished the season with 33 tackles, two interceptions and 11 passes defended. His interceptions came in victories over Southeastern Louisiana and Auburn.

He also recorded a career high 10 tackles against Ole Miss and broke up three passes against Arkansas.

The interception total dropped from six to two, but that did not mean Williams had taken a step backward. Opponents understood who he was by then, and his reputation as an elite coverage corner had grown considerably.

Williams earned first team All America honors from Walter Camp, the Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association. The Associated Press and Sporting News placed him on their second teams.

He was also named first team All SEC by both the Associated Press and the conference coaches.

By the end of the season, Williams had gone from promising freshman to one of the most respected cornerbacks in the country.

A Finalist for the Thorpe Award

Williams became a finalist for the 2018 Jim Thorpe Award, which honors the best defensive back in college football.

He did not win. Georgia cornerback Deandre Baker received the award.

Simply becoming a finalist, however, placed Williams among the best defensive backs in the nation and continued LSU’s long connection to the award.

Williams finished his LSU career with 24 games played and 24 starts.

He recorded 71 tackles, eight interceptions and 28 passes defended.

Those 28 passes defended include interceptions and pass breakups, which is why some statistical databases show a lower number when listing only pass breakups.

The most important part is simple.

Eight interceptions in only two playing seasons.

Williams had done enough.

He declared for the NFL Draft.

Cleveland Trades Up to Get Him

Williams entered the 2019 NFL Draft with first round talent, but he remained available into the second round.

Cleveland decided not to wait any longer.

The Browns traded the 49th and 144th overall selections to Indianapolis to move up three spots to No. 46.

Then they selected Williams.

That detail corrects one point from the earlier version of this article. Cleveland moved up from No. 49 to No. 46, not from a first round position or by a larger jump.

The Browns viewed Williams as a potential long term starter opposite Denzel Ward, who had been selected fourth overall one year earlier.

Williams had reached the NFL after only two playing seasons at LSU.

An Immediate NFL Starter

Williams became a starter right away.

As a rookie in 2019, he appeared in 12 games and started all 12. He recorded 47 combined tackles and two passes defended.

The transition from the SEC to the NFL is difficult for any cornerback, but Cleveland trusted Williams immediately.

His second season was supposed to be another step forward.

Instead, it disappeared completely.

The Shoulder Injury That Cost Him 2020

Williams suffered a nerve injury in his shoulder during training camp in 2020.

The injury proved far more serious than initially hoped.

He missed the entire season.

For a young cornerback trying to establish himself in the NFL, losing a full year was a major setback. Williams spent the season recovering while Cleveland moved forward without him.

He eventually returned in 2021.

That season became the best of his NFL career.

His Best NFL Season

Williams played 16 games in 2021 and started eight.

He recorded 41 combined tackles, 10 passes defended, two interceptions and one forced fumble.

Those were the only two interceptions of his NFL career.

For stretches, Williams looked much more like the player Cleveland thought it had drafted out of LSU.

Then injuries interfered again.

Williams missed the first five weeks of the 2022 season because of a hamstring injury. He returned but played a reduced role, appearing in 11 games with only one start.

That season produced 11 combined tackles.

His time in Cleveland was ending.

Four Seasons With the Browns

Williams spent four seasons under contract with Cleveland from 2019 through 2022, although he did not play at all in 2020.

He appeared in 39 regular season games and made 21 starts.

NFL records credit him with 99 combined tackles, 12 passes defended, two interceptions and one forced fumble.

Those numbers are more precise than the earlier version of the article, which did not include his correct start total.

The bigger story was continuity.

Williams started every game he played at LSU.

In Cleveland, injuries prevented him from staying on the field long enough to build the same kind of momentum.

After the 2022 season, his Browns career ended.

A Brief Stop in Philadelphia

Williams signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in March 2023.

The move appeared promising. Philadelphia was coming off a Super Bowl appearance and offered him a chance to compete for a role in a deep secondary.

He played in the first two preseason games.

Then the Eagles released him on August 19, 2023.

Williams never appeared in a regular season game for Philadelphia.

The NFL portion of his career was effectively over.

One More Shot With San Antonio

Williams returned to professional football with the San Antonio Brahmas of the United Football League.

He was on the Brahmas roster entering the 2025 season and was listed as fully available before the opener.

His stay did not last long.

San Antonio released Williams in April 2025 during the early portion of the season.

That is the most recent confirmed professional football stop I could verify. There is no reliable evidence that he is currently on an NFL or UFL roster as of August 2026.

That is the safest and most accurate way to describe his current status.

His NFL Career Does Not Define His LSU Career

Greedy Williams never became the NFL star many people expected when Cleveland traded up to draft him.

That does not diminish what he did at LSU.

This list ranks LSU football careers.

At LSU, Williams was outstanding.

He started every game he played.

He intercepted eight passes in two seasons.

He led the SEC with six interceptions in his first year on the field.

He earned All America honors in both seasons.

He became a first team All American in 2018.

He was a two time first team All SEC selection by at least one major selector.

He finished his career as a Thorpe Award finalist.

That résumé stands on its own.

No. 100 on the LSU Football Report Top 100

Greedy Williams begins this list at No. 100, and that says a great deal about the depth of LSU football history.

The final player on the list was a first team All American, Thorpe Award finalist, two time All SEC cornerback and second round NFL Draft pick.

That is the floor.

Williams may not have stayed at LSU long enough to climb much higher. He did not win a national championship, and his NFL career was repeatedly interrupted by injuries.

But when he was on the field in Baton Rouge, he was one of the best cornerbacks in college football.

Patrick Peterson helped define DBU.

Morris Claiborne strengthened it.

Tyrann Mathieu made it unforgettable.

Tre’Davious White and Jamal Adams carried it forward.

Greedy Williams added another chapter.

At No. 100, he opens this countdown with a standard that shows just how difficult it is to make a list of the greatest LSU Tigers ever.

Sources

LSU Athletics, Greedy Williams official biography and LSU career statistics
https://lsusports.net/sports/fb/roster/player/greedy-williams/

LSU Athletics, LSU Football First Team All Americans
https://lsusports.net/lsu-football-first-team-all-americans/

LSU Athletics, 2018 Jim Thorpe Award semifinalist announcement
https://lsusports.net/news/2018/10/22/211777112/

Cleveland Browns, Greedy Williams selected No. 46 overall in the 2019 NFL Draft
https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/cleveland-browns-select-cb-greedy-williams-with-no-46-pick-in-2019-nfl-draft

Cleveland Browns, trade with Indianapolis to move from No. 49 to No. 46
https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/browns-trade-with-colts-to-move-up-to-no-46-in-2019-nfl-draft

Cleveland Browns, story behind Greedy Williams’ nickname
https://www.clevelandbrowns.com/news/the-story-behind-new-browns-cornerback-greedy-williams-nickname

NFL, Greedy Williams career statistics
https://www.nfl.com/players/greedy-williams/stats/

Pro Football Reference, Greedy Williams NFL career statistics
https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WillGr00.htm

Philadelphia Eagles, 2023 transactions
https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/transactions/2023

United Football League, San Antonio Brahmas 2025 roster and team information
https://www.theufl.com/teams/san-antonio/roster

United Football League, San Antonio Brahmas 2025 practice report
https://storage.googleapis.com/ufleague-prod/2025/03/27/c2bc6be8-1bec-437d-afac-6ebdc68473f6.pdf