Preston

Williams

Williams (6’4/211) went to Tennessee as a five-star recruit only to last two seasons for failed drug tests, transfer, fail more drug tests at CSU, and get disinvited from the Combine for a 2017 domestic violence arrest. Williams dominated in 2018 – his lone full college season – for a 96/1,345/14 (14.0 YPR) receiving line, finishing No. 5 in the nation in yards gained on throws traveling 20-plus yards downfield (605). Williams’ work ethic came into question when he bombed his Pro Day with a 4.60 forty, 9-foot-8 broad jump, and 31 ½-inch vertical. Ultimately, Williams is a boom-bust prospect likelier to bottom out than boom based on his turbulent track record.

Williams (6'4/210) put up some gaudy numbers in 2018, catching 98 passes for 1,345 yards and 14 touchdowns, but his performance on the pre-draft “circuit” has left much to be desired. The former Colorado State standout did not have a good pro day, and there are off-field (charges stemming from a confrontation with a girlfriend, which led to his being suspended for all of 2017) and health concerns (torn ACL in 2014) to be taken into account as well. As a result, it’s possible that Williams will have to go the UDFA route when it comes to earning an NFL roster spot. At best he’s a Day 3 draft pick, despite the on-field production in 2018.

“On the field, Williams has huge—maybe even first-round—potential,” Miller writes. On the field. Of course, with Williams, there is all kind of baggage. Not only in his 2017 arrests relating to a confrontation with a girlfriend, but also on the health front, as he sustained a torn ACL in 2014. At least when it comes to the knee, Williams appears to be in the clear. Miller refers to him as a “development prospect’ who could contribute in two or three years down the road.

There are a lot of good things about being compared to Bryant, and a whole lot of bad things. ""He’s got some really good tape, but now he has a disappointing workout to go with character red flags,an NFL general manager told Zierlein. “That’s a bad combination. We won’t take him but I would guess he could go in the middle rounds.” Zierlein does note that Williams has the “physical traits to become a bona fide playmaker,” and not many were more productive than the 6-foot-4, 210-pound wideout. He remains one of the biggest enigmas of the draft.

If you didn’t hear about Williams Pro Day on Wednesday, it was awful. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound wideout ran his 40-yard dash somewhere in the 4.57-to-4.64 second range, and if you combine that with his 31.5-inch vertical and 116-inch broad jump, it’s not gonna work. “For a receiver who was supposed to mask his deficiencies as a route runner by being a top-tier athlete, this is a really underwhelming performance,” Crabbs writes. “One that will cause scouts to take a closer look to his film. They’re not likely to like what they see on the second pass.”

Williams (6'4/210) has completely shattered his what could have been first-round grade with off-field issues and a disastrous Pro Day earlier this week. His 4.57-second forty and 31.5-inch vertical jump aren’t reflective of his on-field talents, highlighting concerns over his commitment to earning NFL chances. There are on-field reasons to bet on Williams as an undrafted free agent, but it’s hard to project Williams seeing the field at the next level at this point.

A much better time than the 4.64 second mark he posted in his first run. Still, when you combine that with his disappointing jumps (31.5" vertical, 116" broad), this is a disappointing day for the 6-foot-4, 210-pound wideout.

Simply put, these are not good numbers. Williams (6'4/210) wasn’t able to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine because of an arrest in 2017 involving domestic violence, so the pro day was extremely important for the Colorado State star. He was one of the most productive wideouts in the country last year (96/1,345/14), but there are questions about his athleticism that didn’t get an answer on Wednesday. Not a positive one, anyway.

Williams (6'4/210) would be inside a lot of teams/analysts top-5 receiver rankings, but he has too many questions surrounding his background (domestic violence) for a team to spend a Day 1 or Day 2 pick on him. In fact, there will be NFL teams who will leave Williams completely off of their draft boards, so it’s not a guarantee that he ends up being drafted. However, if he’s able to turn things around and gets another opportunity, Williams has the upside to be a plus-starter in the NFL. As a redshirt junior, Williams posted a 96-1,345-14 receiving line.

Williams (6'4/210) was arrested in 2017 after he was involved in a scuffle with an ex-girlfriend, and again several weeks after that initial arrest when he violated a restraining order against him. He subsequently pleaded guilty to harassment, with charges of tampering and domestic violence dropped as part of a deferred sentence. this past season, the former Tennessee wideout logged a 96-1345-14 receiving line. The Athletic’s Dane Brugler passed along at the end of December that the talented wideout would likely be scrubbed off the boards of multiple NFL squads due to his past issues. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein has previously written that Williams “might be the most talented wideout in the entire draft,” but does not see a first-round selection as likely, here, due to Williams’ past issues.