Florissant Native Williams Drafted by Steelers

NEW YORK–Florissant native and graduate Keith Williams was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round, 196th overall, in the 2011 NFL Draft.

An offensive lineman at the University of Nebraska, Williams started 34 games in his collegiate career, helping the Huskers average 240 rushing yards per game in 2010. He was a two-time honorable mention all-Big 12 selection.

At 6-foot-4 and 318 pounds, he joins fellow draft pick Marcus Gilbert out of Florida in a competition for playing time at guard right away.

“Keith is a very physical player,” said Steelers offensive line coach Sean Kugler, according to the Steelers’ Web site. “He likes to mix it up, he has nasty to him. He’s an aggressive player.

“He has pulling skills. They utilize that at Nebraska and that shows up on film. We had Keith in the building, and we brought him up here because we wanted to get an even closer look at him. “We liked what we saw on film. We wanted to get him on the board to see how he handles the learning, and he was excellent. He is a smart kid, and I think he’s going to be a quality guard for us.”

At McCluer North, he was a Class 5A all-state selection and combined for over 75 tackles, numerous sacks and helped Jim Schottmueller’s squad to consecutive Missouri 5A championship appearances.