Overview
Position: Wide Receiver
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 204 pounds
School: Grambling State Tigers
Pro Day Stats (not invited to Combine)
40-yard dash: 4.37 seconds
Bench press: 21 reps
Vertical jump: 35.5 inches
Broad jump: 10 feet, 3 inches
Three-cone drill: 7.09 seconds
20-yard shuttle: 4.20 seconds
Chad Williams 2017 NFL Draft Profile
Apart from Eastern Washington’s Cooper Kupp, there might not be another non-FBS receiving prospect with higher upside than Chad Williams. During his collegiate career at Grambling, Williams slowly emerged as one of FCS’ top pass-catchers. He tallied over 1,000 yards receiving as both a junior and a senior while taking home all-SWAC first team honors both seasons. His final season with the Tigers saw him catch 11 touchdown passes while finishing with the fifth-highest receiving yards total in FCS (1,337). Grambling also won the SWAC title that year.
Though not invited to the Combine, Williams tested favorably at his Pro Day which took place at Louisiana Tech. Had he been in Indianapolis, his 40 time and bench press would’ve ranked no worse than third among players at his position. Only John Ross and Curtis Samuel turned in faster efforts at the 40-yard dash.
Strengths
- powerful, well-built frame;
- comfortable catching the ball with his hands in front of his body;
- capable of going up and getting the ball in contested situations;
- able to shed tacklers and gain yards after catch;
- functional play speed enables him to get in behind safeties playing over the top;
- effective at finding and exploiting seams in zone coverage.
Weaknesses
- obvious concerns over level of competition;
- could use more sharpness in change of direction when running routes;
- lack of lateral quickness may make it hard for him to achieve separation in man coverage;
- struggles reacting to balls thrown ahead of or behind him;
- won’t be a vertical threat at next level until he maintains pace on go routes;
- not the most effectual blocker in run support;
- off-the-field red flag in the form of a marijuana/firearms possession arrest.
NFL Comparison: Cameron Meredith
Teams With Need at Position: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans
Projection: sixth to seventh round
Bottom Line
In Williams, teams are getting a confident and reliable pass-catcher who can break tackles and punish poor zone coverage. He’s a dynamic player in space and can win one-on-one battles for the ball near the sidelines. That said, it came against a much lower level of play against what awaits him at the next level.
Other concerns surrounding Williams is that, while quick in a straight line, his tape doesn’t show a great deal of lateral burst. That has scouts wary about whether or not he can consistently separate against skilled cover corners. There’s also the issue of his May 2016 arrest which resulted in a one-game suspension to start his senior year and a subsequent disqualification from a Combine invite.
Taking it all into account, Williams certainly fits the bill as a developmental project. Though he’ll have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in training camp, he initially may find himself buried on the depth chart. Expect Williams to be a day three add for teams looking to bolster their receiving corps with a potential late-round flier.
