RAVENS TE MAXX WILLIAMS CONFERENCE CALL TRANSCRIPT
On how he would describe his game as a tight end and whether he emulates TE Jason Witten: "That's who I want to be like – the guy is Jason Witten. [I] grew up every day trying to do everything for the team – blocking, catching and just being a difference, and that's what I've always tried to be for my teammates is going out there and making a difference on gameday. And that's what I'm looking forward to doing."
On what advice his father gave him about the NFL and the draft process: "He said, 'You know what, you have to earn respect. You have to go in, shut your mouth and go to work every day and earn the respect of your teammates and show who you are, because now you're at the highest level where no matter what, everyone's the best there is. You have to go out there and prove that you can play with them and go to work every day.'"
On what he was thinking with the Ravens and Steelers picking closely together: "My heart was pumping all day. The last two days, my heart has been pumping, and I'm just kind of waiting for my name to get called and my phone to ring. You get more and more excited, and finally, I was fortunate enough to hear my phone ring, and now I'm a Baltimore Raven."
On if he thought the Ravens were likely to draft him: "I always had a good feeling with them. I met them at the Combine, had a great meeting with them out there and just had a good feeling going in to all of this that they were calling my number, maybe."
On what makes him a big-play receiver at the tight end position: "I credit it to … I do my work. I get as much preparation as I can. I go out there, and I just play as hard as I can. Good things happen when you work hard."
On what he has to do to improve his blocking: "I have to get stronger. I knew that going into this draft that I knew I had to get stronger knowing that I was younger. But to me, it has just been working hard right now and doing everything I can to prepare and work on being a better blocker going into this season."
On how much pride he takes in his blocking skills: "You're a tight end; you have to be able to block. This is the NFL. Tight ends are meant to block and go up there and catch. So, I know I'm going to have to get in there, and I'm going to have to prove myself that I can block all those great guys out there."
On whether he feels he still has to develop strength and grow into his body: "I'm 21 years old; I feel like I'm ready to go in everything, but you always can get better – always can get better at blocking or better at catching, everything like that. For me, it's just going to go in and try to improve as much as I can from year to year."
On whether he feels ready to take on a big role with the Ravens: "I told everyone I was trying to be a starter right away. You have to have your goals and what you want to go for, and that's what I want. I want to be a starter. I want to go in and prove that I can make a difference and help win a championship."
On if the Ravens mentioned any similarities between him and TE Todd Heap during the draft process: "I think it was more watching what I can do and wondering what they could do for me and if I was the right fit. So for me, it was just talking about what I could do and how I could help."
On if he visited any other teams during the draft process: "I did. I worked out for Atlanta."
On his game as a receiver: "As a receiver, I say I like to go out there and try to make plays. That's the best way I can describe it. I go out there, try to make plays, try to use my body as a tight end knowing I'm a little bigger than a receiver. [I] try to use my body, manipulate it and make the catch." On whether his 40-yard dash time pushed him into the second round: "Whatever happens, happens. I got drafted a Baltimore Raven. My dream [has] come true, so to me, it doesn't matter."
