Duke Williams is getting another shot at his NFL dream.
After two seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League, D'haquille "Duke" Williams has signed with the NFL's Buffalo Bills, his CFL squad announced Monday morning.
Williams came to The Plains after two years at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College, where he became the No. 1 junior college target in the nation for the 2014 season. The former five-star prospect played a season-and-a-half at Auburn from 2014-15 before being dismissed from the team in October 2015 for an undisclosed violation of team rules. He finished his Auburn career with 877 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
Williams went undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft but was picked up that May by the Los Angeles Rams, signing a 3-year contract. However, when final roster cuts rolled around in September, the embattled Williams was waived.
After an offseason of training, Williams signed with Edmonton before the 2017 season. Over the past two years, the former Tiger has been one of the league's top receivers. In 2018, he led the CFL in receiving yards (1,579) and added 11 touchdowns.
On Jan. 5, Edmonton granted Williams his release to pursue NFL opportunities.
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Nathan King, senior in journalism with a minor in business, is The Plainsman's sports editor.
