Maxx Williams Selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the Second Round of the NFL Draft!

Maxx Williams was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the NFL Draft on Friday night. Baltimore traded up three picks from their original 58th overall pick to the Arizona Cardinal's 55th overall pick.   Williams becomes just the second Gopher tight end to ever be selected in the NFL Draft after Matt Spaeth who was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round of the 2007 Draft.

Williams just missed out on history--if he had been selected in the first round he and his father Brian would have been just the 15th father/son pair to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.  Brian Williams was drafted in the first round in 1990 by the New York Giants after playing offensive line for the Gophers.

Maxx heads to the NFL after a fantastic sophomore season for the Gophers. A Mackey Award finalist, Williams was the Big Ten tight end of the year, a unanimous all B1G first team selection, and a multiple 1st team All-American. He joins a Ravens offense that should immediately give Maxx a chance to shine.  With a quality quarterback in Joe Flacco throwing the ball to him, and no immediate competition other than an oft injured Dennis Pitta, Maxx will have the opportunity to shine from day one.He will also join fellow Minnesotan Terrell Suggs on Baltimore's roster.

Maxx is the first of what will hopefully be four Gophers drafted this weekend.  If that does happen, it will be the first time since 2006. That final Mason coached draft class had Laurence Maroney, Anthony Montgomery, Greg Eslinger and Mark Setterstrom all see their names called.

Unfortunately for GoAupher...Maxx will be in the AFC North and will compete against his surrogate Cincinnati Bengals two times every season.  But at least those purple and black uniforms will look sharp!

Congrats Maxx from the entire The Daily Gopher Team!