Demetrius Williams (1 Viewer)

[SammyJankis]

OK, admittedly I've been pimping Williams for a long while now. But I truly believe that we could see Demetrius Williams post big numbers this season.

Who is Demetrius Williams? Was a 4th round pick of the Ravens last year. However he generally carried an earlier round grade, but dropped for some reason to the second day. Nice size, nice speed. Had a decent rookie year: 22-396-2 TD.

His NFL.com summary looks like this:

Williams is a talented receiver whose ability to make tough catches and big plays grabs people's attention. He is a smooth route runner who consistently has shown the quickness out of his cuts to get separation from defenders, but lacks the explosiveness and top-end playing speed to run away from the defense. Not only does he lose focus and drop some passes that should be caught, but he does not go up aggressively and fight for the high pass in jump-ball situations. He is quick in getting started after the catch and is an elusive runner once he gets in the open field. Overall, Williams no doubt has the talent to be a good starting receiver in the NFL. However, unless he does a much better job of maintaining his focus and concentration in order to catch the ball more consistently, he will not become the receiver he is capable of.

During the middle of last season, we saw Billick say the following (from a Baltimore Sun article that no longer exists online):

WR Demetrius Williams joins WR Derrick Mason and WR Mark Clayton as the only receivers to be activated for all nine Ravens games, and the 23-year-old from Pittsburg, Calif., has vaulted past veterans WR Devard Darling and WR Clarence Moore to become the No. 3 wide-out. Williams has been so impressive that HC Brian Billick acknowledged they should expand Williams' role in the offense. "We need to get the ball to him more," Billick said Wednesday. Williams compiled 2,660 yards and 20 touchdowns at Oregon, and was the 14th receiver taken in the draft.

So what's happened this off-season. Williams took Mason's starting spot on the outside. In an early august scrimmage with the Ravens Williams gets a ton of targets, and looks like the #1 WR. Then Williams has a nice preseason. In four preseason games:Week 1: 2 catches, 17 yards

Week 2: 2 catches, 26 yards

Week 3: 2 catches, 29 yards

Week 4: 2 catches 78, yards, 59 yard touchdown

In each game, Williams seemed to be the first look in the passing game. Take a look at the video on nfl.com page for the last preseason game. Williams just abuses the DB in route to the long score.

But what does the ADP look like? In 12 team leagues, its Clayton at 7.09, Mason at 12.04 and Williams at 17.09. Because the guys in most leagues are thinking "who wants the #3WR for the Ravens"?

If you're having a fantasy draft this weekend, Williams is going to be there with your last pick. Take him and you'll be glad you did. I predict a top 25 finish, for Williams this season and you can straight up steal him now.

 

[Jeff Haseley]

Good post. Nice write-up I like Williams this year too. Not sure how productive or how involved he'll be, but the talent is there.

 

[Birdie048]

Agree with the summary. Dem Williams was too skinny his rookie year and was a little slow learning the playbook. He has had some "exposure" to what is needed to perform and has done alot to get there.

I think he has the potential to be Balt WR#1 late mid-season. But Mark Clayton could turn it on too. I do not have alot of value in McGahee in Balt but see McNair having to throw more often.

 

[ChuckLiddell]

Has he actually beaten out Mason to be a starter this season, or is it being hoped/assumed that he will eventually?

 

[SammyJankis]

Has he actually beaten out Mason to be a starter this season, or is it being hoped/assumed that he will eventually?

Here's a Baltimore Sun article from August that sums it up pretty well: Link

On paper the depth chart is written in ink - just a thin shade of gray separating Mark Clayton from Derrick Mason, and Demetrius Williams as the No. 3.

In actuality, though, opposing defenses could learn pretty quickly that those numbers are but rough guidelines. Very rough.

There are those around camp who not only expect Clayton to compete as the Ravens' clear-cut No. 1 receiving threat, but also think Williams, in his second season, will play a more prominent role than the veteran Mason before the season is more than a few weeks old. This is not exactly a minority opinion, either, as prognosticators are nearly unanimously predicting a breakout season for Williams.

Williams has heard it, of course, as national writers swoop into camp every few days and pose similar questions about heightened expectations and his growth since his rookie campaign.

"Right now, it's all just words," Williams says. "It's something you can listen to, all the hype, but it doesn't really mean anything. You still got to go out there and play. I just need to stay focused and do better than I did last year."

It's the right mind-set for Williams to have, but it doesn't mean everyone else can't start playing out the season in their heads. Billick has been unwavering in his praise of Williams during training camp, and during last week's scrimmage against the Redskins, in the Ravens' first 11-on-11 series, Williams was the target on five plays, making three catches for 38 yards.

For all of the talk about how much Willis McGahee changes the Ravens' offense, Williams might stand to benefit more than anybody. By now, everyone's expecting a single-back offense to open up the passing game. To start the season, Mason and Clayton will each draw opposing teams' top corners, which means Williams should benefit from a potential mismatch.

"And we'll expect him to win those matchups," wide receivers coach Mike Johnson said.

While the coaching staff thinks it has a line of versatile wideouts, Clayton and Mason should be used more as possession receivers. Williams will often serve as a deep threat, almost guaranteed to lead the team in yards per catch - assuming quarterback Steve McNair is able to heave the ball downfield, which is, admittedly, a pretty big assumption.

"I don't want to say he's only a deep threat, though," Johnson said. "He can do it all. He can catch the short passes and make a great run after the catch. He can go vertical, run down the middle. He can do a lot of things and we're going to tap into all of them."

The Ravens of the past established the ground game for the benefit of having a ground game. Finally, running the ball should actually open up some options. Right now, in August, at least, it looks to be the closest this team has ever had to a balanced attack.

Williams is coming off a season in which he caught 22 passes for 396 yards. He will get more opportunities this year, as he asserts himself as a player who understands the intricacies of the position.

"For good receivers, what happens is they start as an athlete, that's how they mature," Mason says. "As the days and years go on, you know you're looking at a good athlete. But to become a better football player, it's about practice and the opportunities to make big plays.

"Everyone knows when you got a good athlete, but then you got to see if a guy can become a good football player as well. What we're seeing right now is Demetrius becoming a good player."

 

[EBF]

He's a good dynasty candidate, but I don't know if a breakout season is in the cards this year. Mason, Heap, and Clayton are going to get their share of looks. The Ravens probably won't throw enough to yield a top 20 WR2-3.

 

[metoo]

He's a good dynasty candidate, but I don't know if a breakout season is in the cards this year. Mason, Heap, and Clayton are going to get their share of looks. The Ravens probably won't throw enough to yield a top 20 WR2-3.

Agree. I still think he's a year away. I'm to trade for him in 2 leagues.

 

[SammyJankis]

He's a good dynasty candidate, but I don't know if a breakout season is in the cards this year. Mason, Heap, and Clayton are going to get their share of looks. The Ravens probably won't throw enough to yield a top 20 WR2-3.

This is certainlly a valid point. Even if Williams plays great this year, will any WR be worth having?I think so, for a couple of reasons. I think the end of year stats are going to have Williams #1, Heap basically 1b, Clayton 2 and Mason an afterthought.

In the article about Mason in the slot it says:

"It's like that old guy that's been doing something for so long, and then all of a sudden, somebody introduces an iPod to him and he's been playing records, he's going to get frustrated because nobody's selling records," Mason, 33, said Monday after practice in Owings Mills.

"I think that's how it was with me. I just got used to one thing for so long, and being pushed in that situation I was in last year, I didn't know how to take it. It got the best of me and I voiced my displeasure. I could have probably done it in other ways."

Offseason meetings with Ravens coach Brian Billick and general manager Ozzie Newsome - and time - have seemed to quell Mason's unhappiness, but as the Ravens approach their 2007 opener, questions remain about how Mason will be used in the offense.

Will Mason's role change to becoming more of an inside receiver between wide receivers Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams, to help him produce significantly better numbers than last season, when 68 catches for 750 yards and two touchdowns were season lows since he became a starter for the Tennessee Titans in 2000?

Or was last season just a sign that Mason was simply wearing down after a decade in the NFL?

His quotes sure seem to indicate that he feels the team feels that its the former.If that offense last year, Mason put up 939 yards and 5 scores. If Williams takes over as the #1 spot, is it out of the question to think that he could put 1000 yards and 8 scores?

The other important point is that Williams is all upside. Its not like you're going to be drafting him as WR2 or ever WR3 or WR4. With his ADP you can take him as your last WR. If I'm right you're loving it. If he's playing 3rd banana then you can cut him loose and get someone else off the waiver wire.

 

[EBF]

He's a good dynasty candidate, but I don't know if a breakout season is in the cards this year. Mason, Heap, and Clayton are going to get their share of looks. The Ravens probably won't throw enough to yield a top 20 WR2-3.

This is certainlly a valid point. Even if Williams plays great this year, will any WR be worth having?I think so, for a couple of reasons. I think the end of year stats are going to have Williams #1, Heap basically 1b, Clayton 2 and Mason an afterthought.

In the article about Mason in the slot it says:

"It's like that old guy that's been doing something for so long, and then all of a sudden, somebody introduces an iPod to him and he's been playing records, he's going to get frustrated because nobody's selling records," Mason, 33, said Monday after practice in Owings Mills.

"I think that's how it was with me. I just got used to one thing for so long, and being pushed in that situation I was in last year, I didn't know how to take it. It got the best of me and I voiced my displeasure. I could have probably done it in other ways."

Offseason meetings with Ravens coach Brian Billick and general manager Ozzie Newsome - and time - have seemed to quell Mason's unhappiness, but as the Ravens approach their 2007 opener, questions remain about how Mason will be used in the offense.

Will Mason's role change to becoming more of an inside receiver between wide receivers Mark Clayton and Demetrius Williams, to help him produce significantly better numbers than last season, when 68 catches for 750 yards and two touchdowns were season lows since he became a starter for the Tennessee Titans in 2000?

Or was last season just a sign that Mason was simply wearing down after a decade in the NFL?

His quotes sure seem to indicate that he feels the team feels that its the former.If that offense last year, Mason put up 939 yards and 5 scores. If Williams takes over as the #1 spot, is it out of the question to think that he could put 1000 yards and 8 scores?

The other important point is that Williams is all upside. Its not like you're going to be drafting him as WR2 or ever WR3 or WR4. With his ADP you can take him as your last WR. If I'm right you're loving it. If he's playing 3rd banana then you can cut him loose and get someone else off the waiver wire.

I don't think he's a bad pick. Stranger things have certainly happened. I'm just not ready to get excited about him as a great redraft option. Whether Mason is on the decline or not, he's still going to play a lot and get plenty of looks. McNair had tunnel vision for him in Tennessee. He's not going to leave his old pal hanging. And don't forget Mark Clayton. He's a solid player who is going to get his yards and catches.

The Ravens are not a good passing team. Their WRs have been FF poison for the entire history of the franchise. Williams is a promising young player who could develop into a perennial 1,000 yard guy, but I don't see any reason to expect him to make that leap just yet. There are just too many things working against him.

 

[CrossEyed]

Call me when Baltimore has a good QB.