A yellow Post-it note left on Danny Smith's office computer sent a clear message.
The author of that note woke up at 4:30 a.m. Friday for the first day of the rest of his professional football career. On that note was a quip that he beat the Steelers' special teams coach to the office for the work day. After leaving that note, the author studied the board hung in Smith's office to get some early studying in. He then put some gospel music on and got into the hot tub just before 5 a.m., and grabbed some breakfast after.
That author was former Pitt cornerback Marquis Williams, who returned to the South Side as an undrafted tryout for the Steelers at their rookie minicamp. Williams went unselected in the April NFL Draft after a seasoned six-year career at Pitt, and the team housed next door to his college program gave him an opportunity that not many others receive.
“This opportunity means everything," Williams said after Friday's rookie minicamp practice. "It shows that Pittsburgh believes in me. They know how tough I am. It’s a tough NFL organization just like Pitt. It shows me that Mike Tomlin believes in me, the coaching staff believes in me, and they want to see me out on the field and I want to show them the best that I can do.”
Williams is familiar with the Steelers by proximity and by family. His uncle is Tyrone Carter, who spent six of his NFL seasons with the Steelers and played for the Super Bowl XL and XLIII champion teams. He played for Tomlin in three of those six seasons in Pittsburgh.
"I always knew coach Mike T.," Williams said. "Since my uncle played here I've been around. It's definitely a great relationship. I call him 'uncle.' It's definitely good that he knows me."
The Pompano Beach, Fla., native was an All-ACC honorable mention after the 2022 season. He returned two interceptions for touchdowns as he started in 12 of 13 games. In 2023, Williams posted 26 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, one interception and four pass breakups. He played 60 games and started in 44 in his career as a Panther.
The full-time opportunity at Pitt didn't come by for Williams until the 2021 ACC Championship season. He started at cornerback in a secondary with three other future NFL players in it. Damarri Mathis was the cornerback on the opposite side, and Erick Hallett III and Brandon Hill were the starting safeties. That room was loaded with NFL talent, as M.J. Devonshire was selected by the Raiders in the seventh round in April and A.J. Woods signed as an undrafted free agent with the Commanders.
Nine former Pitt defensive backs have been picked in the past seven NFL Drafts. A Pitt defensive back has been picked in each of the last five drafts. This pipeline comes from Pat Narduzzi and defensive coordinator Randy Bates' inclinations of placing their cornerbacks on islands, and Williams was no different to that treatment.
Listed at 5-foot-8 and 176 pounds with a 6-foot-2 wingspan, Williams profiles best as an option inside of the slot at the NFL level. That was not his natural position at Pitt. In the first day of rookie minicamp, he confirmed the Steelers had him playing outside. Williams fits the mold of a Mike Hilton-type cornerback, but that is the exact comparison that fellow undrafted rookie and West Virginia product Beanie Bishop has gotten.
Competition is fuel. Judging by his 4:30 a.m. wake-up call, Williams has plenty of that to go around off of the field.
But, on the field, he wants to contribute where ever is necessary.
“I want to show them my speed, that I can move around," Williams said. "I adapt and learn defenses quick and fast. I communicate with my safeties, linebackers. I know what the D-line does, linebackers do, safeties do. Special teams, as well. I want to show them I can fly around on special teams and make plays on special teams and be on every special teams possible to help this team get a championship like coach Mike T. says.”