Antonio
Williams.
Antonio
Williams.
Clemson· 5'12"· 187 lb· 4.41s 40
"Do-it-all slot separator who ran 4.41, caught 208 college balls and moonlighted as a wildcat/return threat — chain-mover with real vertical juice, size the only real flag."Pre-draft read
Antonio Williams aligns primarily in the slot, with occasional perimeter snaps. He is frequently deployed in jet-motion, screen, and wildcat packages. His winning trait is short-area quickness, evident in his ability to flip a defender's hips on option routes, sit-downs, and speed-outs. He demonstrates a reliable second gear, utilizing vertical speed to draw safeties deep and create space underneath.
He exhibits natural and confident hands, consistently catching the ball away from his frame with a high catchable-target rate. While ball skills on late reps occasionally flash, he is predominantly a separation-first receiver. His release package against press coverage is still developing; when defenders initiate contact at the line, his route stems can slow, disrupting timing.
A modern spread RPO system that features packaged plays, horizontal stretches, vertical shot plays off of play-action, and a high volume of slot targets.
Year 1: immediate move-slot and punt returner with gadget touches; Ceiling: high-volume Pro Bowl slot with inside/outside versatility.
Any system that pigeonholes him as a pure perimeter X-receiver or relies on him to win consistently from press alignments against physical corners.
Williams is a dynamic slot receiver whose short-area quickness and verified deep speed make him an ideal fit for an RPO-heavy system that can exploit his versatility and separation skills.
Antonio Williams 2025 Regular Season Highlights
Official conference cut of his senior year — the underneath separation package, the vertical shots and the manufactured touches Clemson built around him.
Antonio Williams full 2025 highlights
Every-catch cut from the 2025 season including the sit-down/option routes and third-down conversions that defined his role.
Antonio Williams NFL Draft Report & Scouting Profile
Pre-draft scouting-report walkthrough tying the Combine testing to the tape ahead of the Washington pick at #71.
Antonio Williams projects as a versatile slot receiver whose immediate impact will come from his short-area quickness and reliable hands. A team acquiring him is buying a plug-and-play contributor for quick-game rhythm throws and manufactured touches, with the potential for further development in his route tree. His impressive 7.00 three-cone time highlights the agility that defines his playmaking.
Williams compiled a collegiate career at Clemson with 208 catches, 2,336 yards, and 21 touchdowns, augmented by 25 rushes for 187 yards and two scores. Clemson leveraged his athleticism through various alignments, including slot, outside, wildcat, and jet motion. His 2024 season marked a significant breakout with 75 receptions for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning him All-ACC honors. Despite an injury-shortened senior year, he still produced 55 catches for 604 yards and four touchdowns.
Evaluators noted his smaller frame and 10 bench reps as potential limitations against physical press coverage, raising questions about his contested-catch ability and durability after two injury-impacted collegiate seasons. Consensus draft boards positioned him in the 65–85 range as a slot receiver with return potential. He was selected by the Washington Commanders with the 71st pick.
- 01
Short-area quickness
Short-area quickness flip defenders' hips on option routes, sit-downs, and speed-outs.
- 02
Deep speed
Utilizes vertical speed to draw safeties deep, creating space underneath the coverage.
- 03
Natural hands
Exhibits natural and confident hands, consistently catching the ball away from his frame.
- 04
Positional versatility
Used various alignments including slot, outside, wildcat, and jet motion, demonstrating Swiss-army utility.
- 05
Plug-and-play contributor
Projects as a plug-and-play contributor for quick-game rhythm throws and manufactured touches.
- 01
Developing release package
Release package against press coverage is still developing, disrupting timing when contact is initiated.
- 02
Contested-catch ability
His profile emphasizes separation, with limited ability to win 50/50 balls.
- 03
Smaller frame
Smaller frame projects potential limitations against physical press coverage due to arm length.
- 04
Durability concerns
Durability is a concern after two injury-impacted collegiate seasons, raising questions.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.41sp50
- Vertical
- 39.5inp50
- Broad jump
- 124inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.00sp50
- Shuttle
- —s
- Bench
- 10repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Clemson | 14 | 55 | 598 | 4 |
| 2023 | Clemson | 5 | 21 | 208 | 2 |
| 2024 | Clemson | 14 | 74 | 902 | 11 |
| 2025 | Clemson | 9 | 55 | 604 | 4 |
| Career | — | 42 | 205 | 2312 | 21 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Cade KlubnikQB24%
- Bryant Wesco Jr.WR17%
- T.J. MooreWR9%
#3 of 17 tracked contributors · Production leaned on volume · Offense explosiveness 1.22 (p40) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Sub-6-foot separator who lives underneath, wins with quickness, and needs a scheme designed for his release.
Undersized slot with real vertical speed, positional versatility and manufactured-touch upside as a Day-1 sub-package weapon.
Reliable-hands slot with average size and speed whose ceiling settles as a rotational WR3.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Pre-draft context. Williams arrived at Clemson as a top-100 recruit and grew slowly through Cade Klubnik's development curve — 56 grabs as a true freshman, a five-game 2023 lost to injury, a 75/904/11-TD explosion in 2024 that included the CFP loss to Texas (and the widely-clipped "night night" celebration Steph Curry-style), and an injury-shortened senior year that still cleared 600 yards on 55 catches. Testing at the Combine — 4.41, 39½" vertical, 7.00 three-cone — pulled him firmly into Day-2 territory, and Washington took him at 71 as a slot separator with return value.
NFL fit — Commanders. Washington's wide receiver room needed a movable underneath piece, and Williams profiles as an immediate slot in three-wide sets with situational outside/jet usage. Washington's system leans on quick-game rhythm throws and manufactured touches — screens, RPO glance routes, jet sweeps — that fit exactly what Clemson built around him. Year-one production likely lands in the 40–60 catch, 500–700-yard band, with punt-return snaps a real path to touches while he acclimates. The medical evaluation for a smaller-framed slot is the swing variable.
Retrospective. Too early to render a verdict — Williams has not taken an NFL snap. What the tape and testing suggest is a floor-first slot pick with return upside: a Day-1 sub-package contributor whose separation, hands and versatility translate, whose ceiling is capped by size/strength, and whose durability history is the honest flag Washington priced in at 71.