Philadelphia Eagles Draft Target | Clemson WR Mike Williams
Fresh off of his National Championship victory, we take a look at a potential Philadelphia Eagles’ draft target, game-changing Clemson WR Mike Williams.
WR Mike Williams left his mark on the National Championship game that he was forced to miss last year due to injury: with 94 yards and a touchdown on 8 grabs, Williams helped the Tigers turn the tide on Alabama, flipping the script of last year’s heartbreaking loss into this year’s sweet, sweet vengeance.
Now, like many of his teammates–and Monday night’s opponents–Williams will turn his eyes to the NFL draft. With the Philadelphia Eagles in desperate need of offensive weapons, many experts have projected receivers as options at the 15th pick. Williams has a chance to be available at that time–so what do you need to know about the Philadelphia Eagles’ potential first-rounder?
Strengths
Standing at 6’3″, and with 205 pounds packed onto his long frame, Williams fits the prototypical NFL mold as well as any wideout in this class. The redshirt junior suffered a devastating neck injury in the first game of his 2015 season, but returned in 2016 with physicality and fearlessness.
Williams operates very well across the middle of the field as a big target with strong hands (though he has struggled with concentration drops). Many players coming off as dangerous an injury as Williams may avoid big hits over the middle. Williams isn’t afraid to take a shot, and regularly breaks the first tackle after the catch. For such a large receiver who lacks top-end speed, Williams has deceptively good evasiveness and an understanding of angles. His reflexes are lightning-quick. YAC monster.
Williams’ most effective route on the collegiate level was the back shoulder fade, and he’ll be asked to continue running it in the NFL. This route highlights some of Williams’ greatest assets: his push on vertical routes; his ability to locate the ball, adjust to inaccurate throws, and make catches away from his body. He regularly demonstrates an elite level of body control and catch radius on plays like this one. If the Philadelphia Eagles were to draft him, it would be for these reasons: Williams catches almost everything that gets near him, and he doesn’t necessarily need to create separation to win. Those are two qualities severely lacking in the Eagles’ current receiving corps.
You just can’t defend that.
Weaknesses
Actually, it turns out you can defend that, because Williams doesn’t have much else in his toolbox. Virginia Tech played Williams, not in a trail technique, but over the top, so that the corner could keep his eyes on the QB. This coverage challenge Williams to do one of two things: either run inside-breaking routes and blow right by the CB, or accelerate over the top and blow right past him. He struggles to do both of those things, and as a result, NFL corners will play the back shoulder fade on Williams using this technique.
Williams simply doesn’t have game-breaking speed. I expect him to run a solid 40-yard dash at the Combine due to his athleticism and stride, but game speed and track speed are two very different things. Williams showed much more consistent speed in 2014, yet seems to have lost some burst post-injury. Whether this loss is due to time spent in rehabilitation/bulking up, or Clemson’s simply asking him to stretch the field less, it’s unclear. However, what is clear is this: in 2016, he struggled to distance himself from CBs down the field.
In order to be a regular deep threat at the NFL level, you need to show a second gear for separation, not just the ability to win contested catches. A team like the Eagles can’t rely on Williams to win a 50/50 ball against an NFL CB on every play down the field. If Williams isn’t able to convince teams that he can play with consistent burst, they’ll doubt his ability to separate, and his draft stock will fall.
Williams also struggles at the stem of his routes. While he succeeds at the collegiate line of scrimmage with physicality, NFL teams will need to check twice to ensure he’s large and powerful enough to consistently win on a professional level. However, Williams regularly leans into his breaks, revealing multiple steps in advance the direction he’s about to head. As a result, savvy corners drive on his slants with ease, and a casual look at Williams’ tape shows how often he’s tackled immediately after the catch. Slow it down. You’ll see the corner clicking-and-closing on Williams’ break before he’s even completed it. He telegraphs his routes.
This is poor route-running, likely born of laziness. Because he’s such a physical specimen, he doesn’t need to worry about running the cleanest of routes against the average college corner. That won’t be the case at the professional level.
Conclusion
That play shows a lot of the good and bad with Williams. The lean into the break outside is ugly, but the immediate adjustment to the low ball is top shelf.
I anticipate the Philadelphia Eagles will fall in love with Williams’ ability to work the middle of the field, catch in traffic, and adjust to inaccurate throws. As a matter of fact, Philadelphia Eagles’ QB Carson Wentz and Williams’ college QB Deshaun Watson both usually miss high, and Williams regularly snags those balls. That’s good to see.
His inability to create separation at the NFL level, however, will give a lot of teams pause. A rangy corner can play the back shoulder fade over the top, as Virginia Tech did, and nullify one of Williams’ greatest threats; a physical corner can press him to the sideline and greatly reduce the throwing window. For the Philadelphia Eagles to draft Williams, they need to be certain he can regularly win with physicality against the NFL’s premier corners, two of which (Josh Norman and Janoris Jenkins) Williams would see twice a year.
Mike Williams has a grade of 7.1 for me, as of this moment. He’s my WR2, and I project him as a high-ceiling, low-floor top-15 pick.
Games watched:
2016: vs. Virginia Tech; vs. Louisville; vs. Georgia Tech; vs. Auburn; vs. Florida State
2014: vs. North Carolina; vs. Oklahoma