William Peterson: Pick #78 in the 2001 NFL Draft

William Peterson is a former defensive back out of Western Illinois, selected by the New York Giants with the 78th overall pick (round 3) in the 2001 NFL Draft. He played 97 regular-season games from 2001 to 2010, with the New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers.

Draft Details

Year

2001

Round

Round 3

Pick

78th overall

Team

New York Giants

Position

DB

College

Western Illinois

William Peterson Career Stats

Primary starter for 3 seasons.

Defense

Season	Team	G	Solo	Ast	TFL	INT	PD	FF
2001	NYG	15	44	5	1	1	8	0
2002	NYG	12	31	4	0	2	8	0
2003	NYG	5	20	6	0	0	2	0
2004	NYG	16	51	8	0	2	14	1
2005	NYG	2	6	2	0	0	0	0
2006	PHI	3	5	1	0	0	2	0
2007	PHI	10	20	6	0	1	3	0
2008	JAX	4	14	1	0	0	0	0
2009	DET	16	53	15	0	2	14	0
2010	SF	4	8	0	0	0	1	0
Career		87	252	48	1	8	52	1

G = games with at least one recorded statistic; the career games total in the summary above includes every game played.

Source: nflverse · Updated Sep 28, 2026

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1	1	ATL	Mike Vick	QB	Virginia Tech
1	1	ATL	Michael Vick	QB	Virginia Tech
1	2	ARI	Leonard Davis	G	Texas
1	3	CLE	Gerard Warren	DT	Florida
1	4	CIN	Justin Smith	DE	Missouri
1	5	LAC	LaDainian Tomlinson	RB	TCU
1	6	NE	Richard Seymour	DT	Georgia
1	7	SF	Andre Carter	DE	California
1	9	SEA	Koren Robinson	WR	N.C. State
1	10	GB	Jamal Reynolds	DE	Florida State