No one who gets drafted tonight in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft will have a bigger appreciation for the opportunity he is about to receive than former Clemson wideout Mike Williams.

When the Clemson medical staff made him put on a neck brace following a collision he had with a goal post in the September 5, 2015 opener against Wofford, Williams wondered if he would ever be as productive in football again.

Earlier, when doctors assured him he would be able to play football again at the Oconee County Medical Center in nearby Seneca, S.C., despite a fracture to the C6 vertebra, Williams was told he had to sit out the rest of the year, and he knew without being able to lift of do any weight training until his neck healed, it was going to be hard to get back in football shape.

“It’s hard for a guy like that, who works so hard to have to sit out and watch an entire season, especially one that leads to the playoffs, where he knows he could have helped the team,” co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Jeff Scott said. “It’s one thing when you are out a week and have to wait to come back, but it is another thing when you are out a year.”

Having that feeling of helplessness motivated Williams to not only get back to the shape he was before he was injured, but to come back even better, bigger and stronger than before. When he checked in for fall camp last August, the 6-foot-4 wide receiver weighed 223 pounds.

“He’s a better player this year than he would have been last year, and he would have been amazing,” Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney said. “But I think his mindset, his mentality, his appreciation for his opportunity, the fact that he was able to sit and learn last year, and I think that fire was burning hard and intense for him coming into the season.”

Williams’ passion allowed him to have one of the best seasons a Clemson wide receiver has ever had. He led the Tigers with 98 receptions for 1,361 yards, while scoring 11 touchdowns – just the fourth Clemson wideout in history to catch at least 10 touchdowns in a season.

“I wanted to be out there to help my teammates last year, but unfortunately I couldn’t,” Williams said. “So I just told the coaches that we have an opportunity, if I have an opportunity to come out and play at Clemson, again, I want to get back to the National Championship and win it.”

And that is what he did. Williams not only helped the Tigers win the program’s first national championship since 1981, but he played a major role in doing so. His miraculous 26-yard reception against Alabama on the next to last scoring drive in the national championship game set up a Clemson touchdown that gave the Tigers the lead, while his 24-yard leaping catch on the next drive propelled them on a game-winning drive for the ages.

“It’s a special moment or me. I am just soaking it all in right now,” Williams said. “Just being out there watching my teammates last year, I wanted to be a part of that; and just to be a part of it this year, it is a very special moment.”

Williams comes into tonight’s 2017 NFL Draft as one of the top receivers in the class, and is expected by many experts to be the first receiver taken off the board.

“Mike Williams is a monster. I mean, he’s a game-changer, every snap, whether he gets the ball or not,” Swinney said. “If he lines up on the field, he impacts the game because I promise you the D-coordinator is hoping that it doesn’t go number 7’s way. He’s just that type of guy.”

Williams finished his college career as one of Clemson’s most decorated wide receivers in history. In his three seasons in Tigertown, he compiled 177 receptions for 2,727 yards and 21 touchdowns in 42 games, including 30 starts. He finished third in Clemson history in receiving touchdowns, fourth in receiving yards and fifth in receptions.

“I still remember him in high school,” Scott said. “He was a basketball guy that came out to play football. He was very raw, but you could tell that he was going to be a talented guy. He has worked extremely hard to get to where he is today.

“He had a great year for us and he has a great future ahead of him. I’m very proud of him and very happy for everything that he has been able to accomplish because he has earned it. Nobody has given him anything. He had to go earn everything that he’s got.”

And tonight Williams will earn a first-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.