NFL Draft: Steady hands may help Baylor WR Terrance Williams' stock
Blanketed by Robert Alford in a drill leading to Saturday's Senior Bowl, Baylor wide receiver Terrance Williams darted past the Southeastern Louisiana cornerback, adjusted to a pass from Oklahoma's Landry Jones toward his outside shoulder and made a sprawling 50-yard catch.
Pinned against a fence at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Ala., a bevy of NFL scouts immediately took notice of Williams' superior ball skills. Williams had 97 catches for 1,832 yards and 12 touchdowns this season.
Williams (6-foot-2, 201 pounds) has developed steady hands in a series of unorthodox workouts at Athletes Performance outside of Dallas in Frisco, Texas. Under the guidance of former NFL receivers Raghib Ismail and Tim Brown, Williams has focused on sharpening his receiving skills. Throughout the routines, the ex-Notre Dame wideouts have stressed the importance of maintaining proper techniques while running routes and securing the ball.
“He still has it,” Williams said of Ismail. “He was showing us with our get-off how to take front steps off the line. We're just trying to learn new things that can help us focus on the ball.”
In a typical drill, Williams will field 10 balls from the front, 10 from the back, 10 low passes and 10 over-the-shoulder throws. The most challenging station, Williams said, is one where he must cover one of his eyes while snaring low balls near ground-level. The instructors require the prospects to repeat any of the drills if they struggle.
With his burst off the line and ability to adjust to poor throws, Williams is projected to be the first receiver selected in April's NFL Draft by NFL.com. Williams met with the head coaches and general managers of the Dolphins, Vikings and Bucs in Mobile.
“I just tried to be myself,” Williams said. “They seemed like a laid-back group when football wasn't going on.”
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