Mom, not ex-NFL lineman dad, taught top TE draft prospect Maxx Williams how to catch

Maxx Williams is one of the best athletes in the upcoming NFL draft class. But is he the best athlete in his own family?

"See, that's a tough question," said the tight end from the University of Minnesota.

If you thought the Gronkowskis had good bloodlines, wait until you meet this group. Maxx's grandfather, Robert, played quarterback for Notre Dame and was drafted by the Chicago Bears in 1959. His son, Brian, was a first-round pick by the New York Giants in 1989 and played 10 years as a center in New York. Maxx remembers sitting in the hot tub with NFL players after Giants games as a kid, while his dad hung out in the cold tub.

Even this past Friday, Brian Williams was at home in Minnesota waiting for word on his son's scouting combine performance not only so he could cheer for Maxx, but so he could beat him.

"I can out-bench him still," Brian said by phone. "Oh, for sure. He knows it too. Back in college I did 505 [pounds]. I'm not even sure what it is now. If he does 225 for 20 reps, I'll have to do 22 just to beat him."

Maxx, who went for 17 reps in Indianapolis, has accepted this.

"He still lifts upper body like he's playing," he said.

The funny part is, the bulk of Maxx's football success might be because of his mom. It was Rochele Williams who taught her son to catch. Brian Williams was moved from tight end to offensive line in college and he nearly quit the sport because he was so upset. Instead he turned into a first-round NFL pick and it was mom who spent hours in the backyard helping Maxx with his hands while dad was away.

"She taught me how to throw and catch, punt, everything," Maxx said.

Rochele has her own bloodlines: she played volleyball at Minnesota – where she and Brian met – and was a Big Ten Medal of Honor winner (for academics and athletics) in 1988. Her father played football at Minnesota and her brother, Ron, played pro football in the NFL and in the World League. The couple's oldest daughter, Danielle, played hockey at Bemidji State and their youngest, Makayla is now being recruited as a volleyball player.

So as much as Brian likes to take credit for his bench press, he knows where to give the credit away.

"He's built like his mother," Brian said of Maxx. "Zero body fat. That's from Rochele's side. Her brother Ron, he's still probably 5 percent body fat."

And although it would be humorous if the extra x in Maxx was some sort of chromosome nod to mom, the Williamses "just wanted to be unique." Naming their son "Maxx" was also a way to keep anyone from thinking the boy's name was Maxwell.

"He's not a Maxwell," Brian said.

(Not everyone in the family liked the name. "My mom hated it," Brian said. "She said, 'You named your son after a dog? It's a dog's name.'")

Double-x does have some Y, however. Maxx excelled at the "Y position" mastered by Rob Gronkowski and others in the NFL. Williams played only two college seasons before declaring for the draft, but he was physical enough to handle blocking as well as route running. He was strong like his dad and deft like his mom.

"He played all over the place," said Minnesota tight ends coach Rob Reeves. "He played the Y position, he played H. Slot. Fullback. He could handle it, pick it all up. We definitely didn't want him off the field."

The result: 13 touchdowns and nearly 1,000 receiving yards in two seasons. Then there was the highlight of the season, in which Williams hurdled two defenders on the way to a Citrus Bowl touchdown against Missouri. The Gophers had two eight-win seasons with Williams after having none since 2003. Williams was also the team's first Academic All-American since 1994.

It would seem from all this that the NFL is Maxx's birthright. But it's hard to detect entitlement. There's no expectation that he will be a first-rounder like his dad, even though that very well could happen. "I'm just trying to get drafted, man," he said.

The upper Midwest modesty does come from Brian, though, who still can't believe he was picked in 1989. "I fell off the couch," he said. "I never made one honor in high school. In college, I never made All-Big Ten. I never made nothing. And I was the No. 1 center picked. Thank god for Mel Kiper."

Of course Kiper wasn't responsible for Brian's lofty draft status anymore than Mike Mayock is credited for Maxx's. But perhaps there should be a mock draft of all the Williams athletes.

The boys already know that the top-overall slot in that draft probably won't go to a football player.