Pre-Draft Fantasy Prospect
Grade* (out of 50): 41.0
* - How well does his skill set carry over
to the fantasy game? For receivers, a player needs to be a realistic
threat for 70 catches and 1,000 receiving yards at some point
early in their career to be a candidate for a perfect grade. Positional
scarcity at the pro level is also a part of the equation.
Positives
Speed, speed, speed. Even though he led FBS in 50-yard (nine),
60-yard (six) and 70-yard catches (four) in 2021, Williams destroys
pursuit angles. He is more than fast, however. He is quick - especially
for a player who stands 6-2 - and understands how to tempo his routes
to keep the secondary on their toes. He consistently threatens cornerbacks
with his speed before either snapping off his route to settle for
an intermediate catch or shifting into second gear. Williams also
appears to understand what defenders/defenses are trying to do to
him and making them do what he wants them to do. He also understands
how to sit down against zone coverage - a quality that can sometimes
elude many vertical wideouts. As one might expect from a player
who is both fast and quick, he is a problem for defenses after the
catch. Although he was charged with six drops in 2021, Williams'
hands rarely seem to betray him on downfield throws. The Crimson
Tide smartly used him mostly as a Z and slot receiver to get him
away from physical coverage off the line of scrimmage, often ensuring
Williams could get a free release.
Negatives
While he is reportedly very much ahead of schedule roughly three
months post-surgery, will Williams be ready to play in September
after tearing his ACL in the national title game? Beyond that, how
is it possible that Williams could not crack the receiver rotation
at Ohio State (15 receptions in two seasons) before transferring
to Alabama in 2021? While Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Chris Olave and Garrett
Wilson (Ohio State's top receivers last year) will all likely go
in the first round in 2022 or 2023, future first-round players such
as Williams typically force their way into the lineup regardless,
so why did that not happen in Columbus? Regarding his actual game
and/or physical limitations, Williams could add about 15 pounds
of muscle to his frame and still be considered undersized. He is
not nearly strong enough at this point to consistently handle physical
coverage from NFL cornerbacks. Williams has a lot of a young DeSean Jackson in his game (positive and negative), including being loose
with the ball and catching too often with his body. The St. Louis
native is not afraid to run across the middle of the field, but
he can be a bit timid when he senses traffic or finds himself in
contested-catch situations. Perhaps the most glaring weakness in
Williams' game is blocking. While his overall indifference in this
area of the game is concerning, OC Bill O'Brien spoke highly of
his competitiveness - as does his ability/willingness to cover punts
as a gunner.
Bottom Line
Like Jackson, Williams is incredibly fast but possesses the ability
to make sharp cuts. Both receivers also lack the kind of muscle
necessary for most receivers to hold up game after game and year
after year in the NFL. While Jackson's lack of muscle did not stop
him from becoming an alpha receiver in the pros (albeit for a very
short time), it could very well prove to be Williams' kryptonite.
Pushing his current injury situation aside for a moment, it is at
least slightly concerning that most of the pre-injury qualities
associated with effort or teamwork were his biggest issues. While
he isn't allergic to working inside the hashes, he occasionally
hears footsteps when he does. He is inconsistent working back to
underthrown balls. However, his biggest effort/teamwork problem
is blocking. It is OK if a slightly built receiver is unable to
drive his man into the sideline, but it is a problem when there
is more film of him watching his running back run than there is
film of the receiver trying to help his teammate. Williams will
stretch defenses from the moment he steps onto the field, but it
would be a tall order to expect him to become a team's X receiver.
He is not strong enough to consistently beat physical coverage right
now, nor has he shown any indication he wants to get his hands dirty
on non-passing downs.
--- Predict
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now. Doug Orth has written for FF Today since 2006 and been featured
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is also a high-stakes player who often appears as a guest analyst
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“Fantasy Drive." Doug is also a member of the Fantasy
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