Ravens, Steelers tried to select Williams

After highly rated Gophers tight end Maxx Williams wasn't selected in Thursday's first round of the NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Baltimore Ravens battled for his services in the second round.

The Steelers tried to move up to draft the Gophers All-America and failed Friday, but Baltimore succeeded in moving up three spots to No. 55 overall in a deal with the Arizona Cardinals so they could take possibly the best tight end the Gophers have ever had.

Regardless of which team would have taken Williams, he would have teamed up with a first-class quarterback in either Ben Roethlisberger at Pittsburgh, who is 106-52 as a starter, or with his new quarterback Joe Flacco, who is 72-40 as a starter for the Ravens. Roethlisberger has two Super Bowl victories and Flacco one, and both are considered among the best in the business.

Williams is also in a good position to play right away because the starting tight end for the Ravens in 2014, Owen Daniels, signed as a free agent with the Denver Broncos.

The Steelers wanted Williams because their starting tight end, Heath Miller, will turn 33 this season and they don't have a solid replacement behind him. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Mark Kaboly, the Steelers "[weren't] happy when the Ravens picked [Williams]."

Another reason Williams should be thrilled with landing in Baltimore is that their offensive coordinator is Marc Trestman, who is rated among the best quarterback coaches in the NFL and knowledgeable in the passing game — which means Williams will get plenty of opportunities to catch passes.

"When you look at a lot of successful offenses in this league, they have got multiple tight ends," Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta told the Baltimore Sun. "That was a big priority for us going into this draft. We spent a lot of time talking about tight ends, how to find tight ends, and this was our favorite guy in the draft. I quite honestly never dreamed he would be there for us in that range of players. We thought he'd be gone, conceivably in the first round."

"I always had a good feeling with [the Ravens]," Williams told the Baltimore Sun. "I met them at the combine, had a great meeting. I just had a good feeling going through all of this that they would call my number, maybe."

And what does Williams hope to accomplish for the Ravens?

"I just like to go out there and try to make plays," he said. "That's the best way I can describe it. I go out there, try and make plays, try to use my body as a tight end, knowing that I'm a little bigger than a wide receiver. Just try to use my body, manipulate it and make a catch."

While others aren't as optimistic, Gophers athletic director Norwood Teague insists they will be breaking ground on new sports facilities on campus this fall.

Teague admits they have raised only $70 million of the $150 million necessary to build all the facilities, but he believes he has a solution. After the initial $70 million, ongoing fundraising should raise $20-$30 million more by the time workers break ground.

Teague says they will continue raising money while building takes place, and he is confident the complete amount will be secured to build all the facilities.

The university Board of Regents are expected to approve this plan in June.

Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Flip Saunders was recently on a scouting trip in Europe to see players who could potentially enter this year's NBA draft.

"We looked at and saw some good players," he said. "That was kind of the main thing. We had a chance to see three games, and saw some very good players."

Saunders was asked about Bojan Dubljevic, a 6-9, 235-pound power forward whom the Wolves drafted in the second round of the 2013 NBA draft and is now playing for Valencia in the Spanish Liga ACB, the same league that produced Wolves point guard Ricky Rubio.

• Peter Westerhaus, who has been out of football for three years because of ulcerative colitis, was still named on the Gophers roster for their spring game, is on scholarship and working with the team. It's a great testament to Westerhaus and Gophers coach Jerry Kill that they've found a way to keep Westerhaus involved and connected with the team after he was forced to retire from the game.

• University of Pittsburgh football coach Pat Narduzzi on tackle T.J. Clemmings, the Vikings' fourth-round draft pick: "Everyone at Pitt is incredibly proud of T.J. We know he is going to be a great asset for the Vikings, on and off the field. I can remember recruiting him when he was in high school. It has been really great reconnecting with him at Pitt these past few months. He is a tremendous player and person."

• The University of Minnesota women's and men's track teams will definitely practice and hold their meets at Hamline University once the Gophers track is torn up for the building of new facilities.

• If you drive by the new Vikings stadium, you will see part of the roof being assembled on the southern part of the stadium. … Former Vikings linebacker Napoleon Harris, who introduced one of the choices at the NFL draft this weekend, is now a member of the Illinois Senate representing the 15th District. … In introducing one Denver draft pick, former Gophers and Broncos star Rick Upchurch announced he is battling leukemia.