Williams was a very productive receiver and returner at Wisconsin, with many of the athletic traits necessary to overcome his lack of size. He is no doubt a smart kid who learns well when you see how sharp his routes are -- he closes the cushion quickly, uses his shoulder dip to freeze the cornerback, and has a burst out of the cut to get separation consistently. On passes outside of his frame, he does a good job of reaching out and plucking the ball with his hands, but on easy passes, he will body catch and drop some passes he should catch. He is surprisingly good at avoiding the jam and getting into the route quickly. He is a very quick and elusive runner in the open field -- he has the vision and instincts to find the hole, follows his blockers very well, and has the burst to get through cracks and make big plays. Obviously, the big problem is that short and thin receivers struggle to be productive NFL receivers. Overall, Williams is going to be over-looked because of his size, but will stick in the NFL and within a season or two, he will be a good No. 3 receiver and will be able to contribute as a returner. Whatever team that gets him needs to be sure not to over-use him in order for him to be a productive receiver and returner in the NFL.
CRITICAL FACTORS
Size
Athletic Ability
Hands
Competes
Play Speed
Instincts
3.0
6.5
6.5
6.5
6.0
6.5
STRONG POINTS
Williams is a very quick-footed receiver, who runs very sharp and precise routes -- his burst out of cuts enables him to consistently get separation. He has good hands and has shown the ability to adjust to off-target passes and make tough catches in traffic consistently. He consistently has shown an ability to make catches in traffic, take hard hits right after the catch, and hold on to the ball. He is a quick and elusive runner in the open field, and consistently makes plays with the ball in his hands (both as a receiver and return man). He is a highly competitive blocker, who has shown a knack for finding a way to eliminate his man.
WEAKNESSES
Williams's biggest weakness is his lack of size -- he will struggle to stay healthy if he is over-used in the NFL. He lacks the bulk and playing strength to break tackles in the NFL, and he will struggle to gain yards after contact consistently. He has a bad habit of letting passes within his frame get into his body, and he ends up fighting the ball and dropping some easy passes. He does not consistently get down low to catch the low pass well.
POSITIONAL FACTORS
Grade
Category
Comments/Description
6.5
Hands
He has naturally good hands -- he can reach out and make the tough catch seem easy when he is focused.
6.5
Initial Quickness
He gets off the ball and into routes very quickly -- he has the burst to close a cushion fast and can defeat the jam.
6.5
Clean Release
When he releases vs. air, he gets moving quickly, gets into his route fast, and can close the cushion fast.
6.0
Release vs. Jam
His very quick feet and agility help him to shake and defeat the jam well, but he will have trouble vs. big, strong cornerbacks.
6.5
Patterns
He runs very sharp routes, sells his fakes well and has a burst out of cuts to get separation consistently.
6.5
Adjusts to Ball
He does a good job of adjusting to make tough catches on off-target passes.
5.5
Run after Catch
He lacks the strength to break tackles, but is a quick and elusive runner with good instincts and vision.
6.0
Deep Threat
While he lacks premier playing speed, his sharp routes and burst enable him to get some separation deep.
6.5
Hand/Eye Coordination
Very good hand/eye coordination helps Williams to consistently make tough catches seem easy.
5.5
Blocking
He gives a very good effort, and he consistently eliminated his man at Wisconsin, but his lack of size will hinder his blocking in the NFL.
6.0
Return Ability
Williams is a very quick and instinctive returner, who is a legit big-play threat on every return.
5.5
Fumbles/Error
He's not a fumbler, but he will let easy passes into his body at times, and drops some passes he should catch.
ATHLETIC ABILITY
Section Grade: 6.5
Williams is a very good athlete, and that is the main reason he has been such a productive college receiver despite lacking size. His very quick feet combine with his agility to let him shake and defeat a cornerback jam easily -- he gets past the cornerback and into a route in a flash. He consistently runs very sharp routes, and his very quick feet enable him to burst out of cuts and get separation from cornerbacks consistently. He has very good playing speed, but lacks the premier playing speed that small receivers need. He has the quickness and agility to make tacklers miss running after the catch, and the burst to get through cracks quickly. He has the natural coordination, hands and body control to adjust and make tough catches on high passes without any trouble at all.
Q.A.B.
Quick Feet
C.O.D.
Flexibility
Coordination
6.5
6.5
6.5
6.0
6.5
COMPETITIVENESS
Section Grade: 6.5
Williams is a very tough receiver, who has consistently shown the willingness to go up high and catch passes in traffic, takes the hard hit and holds onto the ball. Despite his lack of size, Williams has consistently been a clutch receiver for Wisconsin -- not only did he make big catches on important downs, but he also showed a consistent ability to make a big return in key situations to set the Wisconsin offense up with a short field. His overall production has been consistently good as both a receiver and a returner. He always finds a way to get open, has good hands catching the ball, and is a good runner after the catch. He has shown his commitment to the team by continuing to be an impact returner, even though he is their go-to receiver and does not have anything left to prove. He plays with a lot of pride and never quits -- he fights for extra yards until he is on the ground, and really stays after his blocks until the whistle.
Toughness
Clutch Play
Production
Consistency
Team Player
Pride/Quit
6.5
6.5
6.0
6.0
6.5
6.5
MENTAL ALERTNESS
Section Grade: 6.0
Williams is a smart receiver, and it shows in his very good routes and use of his hands to consistently defeat the jam quickly and easily. He has very good instincts finding open spots vs. a defense, and has the vision and instincts to take advantage of his quickness and burst running after the catch. He generally maintains his concentration on nearly every snap, but every once in a while, he will lose focus, letting easy passes get into his body, and ends up fighting the ball and dropping some passes he should catch.
Learn/Retain
Instincts/Reactions
Concentration
6.5
6.5
6.0
STRENGTH/EXPLOSION
Section Grade: 4.5
Williams is not only much shorter than ideal for a receiver, but he is very thin at barely over 170 pounds. He has been a surprisingly durable player at Wisconsin, staying in the lineup, despite catching a lot of passes and returning so many balls, but with his lack of size, there are real concerns about his ability to maintain his durability if over-used in the NFL. He is a naturally explosive receiver, who bursts off the ball into routes and has a burst out of cuts to get separation consistently. Additionally, as a returner, he has an explosive burst to get through cracks fast. Despite being a tough and competitive player, who has shown an ability to keep his feet vs. hits and to run through arm tackles, his lack of size will hinder his ability to play strong consistently in the NFL -- he will not be a tackle breaker and will struggle to block bigger defensive backs.
Body Type
Durability
Explosion
Play Strength
3.0
5.0
6.0
4.0
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