Production is all that will matter with Antonio Williams

· Yahoo Sports

Clemson Tigers wide receiver Antonio Williams (0) walks into the end zone after scoring a touchdown Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, during the NCAA football game against the Duke Blue Devils at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina. | Alex Martin/Greenville News / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Did the Washington make the right decision drafting wideout Antonio Williams? It’s the question many fans have after the Commanders selected the Clemson Tigers’ wide receiver with the seventh overall pick of the third round. More importantly, their selection ignited the run of wide receivers in that round, where a total of nine went off the board.

From an injury standpoint, Williams is relatively clean. He sustained two notable injuries at Clemson: a hamstring strain in 2025 that caused him to miss two games, and an undisclosed injury in 2023 that caused him to miss nine games and medically redshirt. So, what’s the real issue for fans? For starters, from a height and weight standpoint, Williams falls in the 25th percentile of wide receivers in the NFL. It’s an instant red flag to fans who may not know too much about the wide receiver, as there are other wide receivers with more desirable frames. The other red flag is that he is primarily a slot receiver. While those fans and critics have a right to question why Washington, who had their pick of the litter, selected an “undersized” slot receiver at seven, they aren’t seeing the forest for the trees. Washington needs a significant boost in production in the receiver room, and all that matters for Williams is that he comes in and produces, despite his projected alignment in Washington’s offense.

From a film standpoint, his ability does not warrant the complaints Washington fans have made about him. Williams is a quick, shifty, highly intelligent football player who knows how to win at the top of his routes. At the line of scrimmage, he has a toolbox of releases to win against press, soft-press, and off coverage. He knows how to reduce his frame to get past jam/press attempts and has a solid ability to close space against off-coverage.

One of the more important things Williams possesses is his plan to defeat defenders’ leverage. Williams has a great ability to separate with his Stem setups, using route tempo and head manipulation. His quickness and overall change-of-direction ability at the breakpoint allow him to finish the route, getting out of breaks without losing speed or even crossing defenders’ faces as they try to maintain their leverage.

By no means do I think Williams is one of a kind or an elite route runner, but Washington doesn’t have anyone in their room with the route-running toolbox he has. It’s also one reason why scouts highly regard him as one of the best [route runners] in his class. He is a natural hands catcher, and it may be the reason for the occasional drops, but he trusts them and knows how to attack the football. With his limited frame, he has a respectable, not great, catch radius.

While he has natural limitations, one area for improvement is his YAC ability. He’s a very shifty player with solid vision with the ball in his hands, but the first person can usually bring him down. He’s not a high-creator of yards, but can take advantage of space and good block setups. Otherwise, most of his yards after the catch come from the separation that he’ll create from the route phase.

What will keep him on the field, though, despite being viewed as a slot receiver, is his high-level competitiveness in the run game.

Clemson used Williams in-line and along the boundary to block all three levels of the defense. I don’t expect his usage in the run game to drop off at all in Washington. While I think Williams will primarily align as Washington’s slot receiver, I see him being most successful as Washington’s move player. He is a slot, Z, and flanker in David Blough’s offense.

What are your real thoughts on Antonio Williams? Let us know in the comments below.

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