Clemson Wide Receiver Antonio Williams Fits NFL’s Timeline

Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams is here.

He’s there.

Sometimes they motion him pre-snap, and he can strike from anywhere at any time.

Short (0-9 yards) ⎯

Intermediate (10-19 yards) ⎯

Deep (20+ yards) ⎯

It doesn’t matter.

Williams is a threat all over the field.

However, he does most of his work and most of his damage at the short-to-intermediate route levels.

However, please don’t sleep on his deep game, because he can also slip behind the defense.

And ⎯

He has a knack for high-pointing the ball.

What does Williams bring to the draft board?

A lot of game planning versatility.

Williams lines up out wide and in the slot. Sometimes, he even lines up in the backfield. There were a handful of times he ran a Jet Sweep, and even a couple of times he threw passes.

He didn’t just throw it up either.

He was accurate.

Williams was 2 for 2 for 62 yards and one touchdown pass in 2024.

He also returned punts (17 for 164 yards with a long of 25).

I guess you could say he’s sort of a jack-of-all-trades.

What’s he best at?

• Releasing from the line of scrimmage
• Achieving route leverage
• Winning at route breakpoints

He’s quicker than he is fast.

Heck, he’s as quick as a hiccup.

Williams also makes CRISP and SHARP changes of direction. He snaps off routes.

This makes it tough on cornerbacks to keep up with him on his signature slant patterns. Additionally, it makes it difficult for them to cover him on ANY route that features a breakpoint in the short-to-intermediate route level.

Of course, this is where most of the NFL game is played.

Dependable hands

What’s the most important thing about a wide receiver?

CATCHING THE BALL!

✔️And Williams proves on film that he tends to catch most everything within his reach.

2024:

• 75 catches
• 101 targets
• 74.3% catch rate

What are his biggest weaknesses?

• Lacks playing strength
• Average long-range straight-line speed

This lack of playing strength shows up on game film when he’s trying to pick up yardage after the catch (YAC). While Williams can run to daylight and sometimes make a man miss, he often gets stopped pretty quickly after making the catches in traffic.

This limitation also shows up when he gets impeded and knocked slightly off some of his routes.

His lack of speed can hinder him from getting separation.

Makes me think of

Wilson is along the lines of the same type of receiver as Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks’ first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, No. 20 overall).

For the record, he’s not my comp for Wilson at this point in the process, but he reminds me of that type of receiver.

Wilson isn’t as strong as I remember Smith-Njigba being, but Wilson shows promise of being that intermediate route-level crown jewel receiver for a playoff-quality roster.

The Denver Broncos kept going through my mind during my film study.

#0 Antonio Williams 5-foot-11, 190 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2025 Fall Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by NFL Mock Draft Database to be a First-Round prospect as of September 9, 2025

2024 game film evaluated: Georgia, Appalachian State, North Carolina State, Stanford, FSU, Wake Forest, Virginia, Louisville, Virginia Tech, PITT, The Citadel, South Carolina, SMU, and Texas (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Tough and competitive prospect. Sudden. Determined. Works out of the slot a lot. Accomplished route runner. Good short-area acceleration from a stopped position and coming out of his breaks. Has some bend to him. Sometimes able to sell a step of misdirection before breaking on his route. Excels at boxing out corners at the top of routes. Energetic coming out of his breaks. High-level concentration when the ball is in the air. Sometimes jumps unnecessarily. Tends to catch with his hands. Average ability to adjust to passes thrown behind him. Exploits off-man and zone coverage. Helps clear out areas for other receivers. Works back to his quarterback when he’s in trouble. Limited blocker who isn’t afraid to mix it up.

What to watch for during the 2025 college football season

1. Jumping unnecessarily to catch passes?

2. Gaining separation on deep straight-line routes?

3. YAC?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. Featured in USA Today. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.