On Friday night, the New England Patriots selected Vanderbilt cornerback JoeJuan Williams in the second round of the NFL Draft with the No. 45 overall pick.

New England traded the No. 56 and 101 picks to the Rams to trade up to take Williams.

The second-team All-Southeastern Conference cornerback comes off a stellar year, leading VU with four interceptions and the league with 14 pass break-ups and 18 passes defended, while ranking fifth at VU with 61 total tackles in 2018. It was good enough for him to forego his senior season.

Williams didn't pick off a pass until last year, but was a two-year starter who amassed 24 career break-ups and 119 tackles.

Williams is an unusually big corner--the NFL lists him at 6-foot-4, 211 pounds--which got him first-round mention a couple of months ago. Speed was always a concern,, and a 4.64 at the NFL Combine likely dropped him out of the first round. A 4.55 at his Vanderbilt Pro Day on March 12 solidified his stock.

Williams becomes Vanderbilt's 10th second-round pick in program history.