New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced Tuesday that the club has signed linebacker Stephone Anthony, a first-round draft pick (31st overall) and cornerback P.J. Williams, a third-round draft choice (78th overall), to four-year contracts.
Anthony, 22, was selected by the Saints in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the 31st overall pick out of Clemson. The 6-foot-3 inch, 245-pound Anson, N.C. native appeared in 52 games with 35 starts and recorded career totals of 330 tackles (210 solo), 9.5 sacks, 13 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In 2014, Anthony was a consensus first-team All-ACC selection as he recorded a team-high 90 tackles (61 solo), 10.5 stops for loss, 2.5 sacks, one interception, four passes defensed and two forced fumbles in 13 games with 12 starts. Anthony also led the Tigers with 131 tackles in 2013 as a junior.
Williams, a 6-foot, 196-pound cornerback out of Florida State, was the Saints' second selection in the third round of the draft. The Ocala, Fla. native played in 40 career games with 24 starts for the Seminoles, making 123 tackles (82 solo) with four interceptions, 18 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Williams earned first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors and was a Thorpe Award semifinalist as a junior in 2014 when he started all 13 games he played in, posting a career-best 74 tackles (52 solo) with one sack, one interception, 10 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. Williams, 22, captured Defensive Most Valuable honors in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game vs. Auburn when he made seven stops, including a half-tackle for loss and an interception on consecutive plays at the start of the fourth quarter when the Seminoles trailed 21-13, leading to a Florida State touchdown.