UM standouts team up one more time at Senior Bowl to improve their draft stock
Decorated safeties Kamren Kinchens and James Williams stood side-by-side at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Wednesday, flanked by UM head football coach Mario Cristobal, defensive coordinator Lance Guidry, senior defensive analyst Ed Pata and general manager of football operations Alonzo Highsmith.
Smiling, they all posed for a picture and put their hands together to flash a “U” symbol during a brief moment at the Senior Bowl.
Mario Cristobal at the @seniorbowl alongside DC Lance Guidry, senior analyst Ed Pata, and GM of Football ops Alonzo Highsmith.
S Kamren Kinchens, S/LB James Williams, and G Javion Cohen representing The U in Mobile. pic.twitter.com/GKnT6WbtOf— Gaby Urrutia (@GabyUrrutia247) January 31, 2024
For Kinchens, Williams and offensive lineman Javion Cohen, who are all on the American Team for the college all-star event this week, it likely marks the last time they will all be teammates.
After declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft, they’re in Mobile to improve their draft stock, relishing the chance to be on the same field together one more time.
Williams and Kinchens arrived in Coral Gables as highly touted recruits in 2021, Williams a five-star prospect and the No. 1 safety in the nation, while Kinchens was a four-star recruit. Cohen spent one season at UM after transferring from Alabama.
“It made me feel comfortable knowing I’ve got somebody behind me who has always been there with me since freshman year,” Williams said of having Kinchens alongside him in Mobile.
Kinchens, Williams and Cohen are all expected to be selected in April’s draft. But each has a unique journey ahead of them, though.
Cohen, who started all 12 games at left guard in 2023 and was an All-ACC honorable mention selection, is rated the fifth-best guard in the class, according to ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. While Cohen played the entirety of his college career at guard, he has also spent time at center in Mobile.
Williams, a Plantation American Heritage alumnus, is the No. 8 safety in the draft, according to Kiper. But Williams could be changing positions in the NFL.
Williams, who is listed at 6-4 and 230 pounds, is listed on the Senior Bowl roster as a linebacker and has been taking snaps at outside linebacker during practice. It’s not foreign to Williams, who took snaps in the box in his final college season, but now he gets to show NFL scouts and coaches how he looks taking on different roles.
Williams started 29 of 33 games and recorded 162 tackles, two tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, 17 pass deflections and four interceptions.
His combination of size and athleticism could allow him to take on a versatile role in the right defensive scheme. He labeled his future role in the NFL as an athlete.
“A guy that can move around,” he said. “Play high field, play deep. Play in the box like I did [Tuesday]. Play man to man on tight ends, running backs. Game plan-wise, you can put me anywhere, however you want to use me.”
Williams said his strengths are his physicality, his coverage ability and his speed “that people don’t think I have.”
“I’m adjusting to it,” he said of his new position. “I’m new to it. [Tuesday] was my first day, like, fully in the box. So, I had to get my feet wet and tomorrow I’ll get better and prove myself.”
Kinchens is viewed as one of the best safety prospects in the class, rated the No. 2 player at his position by Kiper. The Miami Northwestern High alumnus could work his way into first-round consideration with a strong pre-raft cycle.
In college, Kinchens was one of the top ballhawks in the nation, recording 11 interceptions in his past two seasons. He earned first-team All-America honors in 2022 and first-team All-ACC honors in 2023.
Williams once called Kinchens the “heart and soul” of UM’s team, and it’s a role Kinchens wants to continue to fulfill in the NFL.
“I can be that vocal guy on defense, basically the quarterback of the defense,” Kinchens said. “Getting everybody aligned, making adjustments. Being more consistent in coverage.”
Kinchens is almost five months removed from sustaining an apparent head and neck injury that forced him to be taken to Ryder Trauma Center toward the end of UM’s game against Texas A&M on Sept. 9. Kinchens said the incident “didn’t do too much” and is behind him.
Although he wishes he could have played in the two games he missed to achieve a lofty goal.
“It did give me a little motivation,” he said, “because I was seeing other people catch picks and stuff, and I wanted to be the interception leader. I was a few short and I think [if I] played those two games, I probably would have blown it out of the water.”
