I am surprised more haven't talked about this kid. He caught 80+ passes for over 1100 yards at Tulane last year. Don't get me wrong...he is a sleeper by every stretch of the imagination, but a sleeper that could be in a very fortunate situation.
Positives:
- He is in SD in a great situation
- He is a great hands catcher that aggresively goes after the ball and makes contested catches
- Very solid route runner
- Strong
- Runs well after the catch
Negatives
- Not a burner
- wasn't drafted
The reason I am interested in him is I think he fits a key role that SD doesn't currently have a solution for. He is potentially a very good possesion reciever....something SD lacks outside of Gates. The fact they signed Josh Reed shows the SD management sees the same thing.
Matt Waldman had him rated #12 ahead of Lafell, Shipley, T. Price and said
"Williams consistently attacks the football in tight
single coverage and has good hands technique. He runs good deep routes and has excellent concentration. He needs to work on press coverage
and his intermediate routes. He doesn't get much fanfare, but he has the skills to develop into a starter."
and
"Coach Bob Toledo, who said the same thing about Matt Forte two years ago, told the press that Jeremy Williams "is an NFL player." Based on the fact that Toledo doesn't say this about all his stars and he's been pretty accurate about the ones he does give this label, he's a player to watch. He is praised for is ability to attack the football as a receiver in single coverage. Williams does have good hands, catching the ball consistently away from his body. He also shows a knack for adjusting to passes thrown over his head, over his shoulder, or turning his shoulders back to the QB, and he can attack the football in tight coverage, showing excellent hand strength and concentration in traffic to win the battle to snatch the ball away from defenders. He understands how to elude a direct collision after the catch, and has enough size to run through arm tackles. He has good vision as an open field runner and even demonstrates patience as a runner behind lead blockers on designed outside runs at the LOS. He runs good deep routes, giving his QB room to throw the ball down the sideline so Williams can work towards the ball. He has enough speed to at least get even with a faster CB in coverage on vertical routes, or break a run for a big gain down the sideline. If he can prove he's a solid route runner on all the basic routes, he has a chance to make a contribution to an NFL team as a rookie. His upside is good enough to be a solid NFL starter because of his after the catch skills, quickness, and very good hands.
NFL.com
"Williams is a quality receiver with top receiving skills but lacks premier top end speed and explosiveness off the line as well as out of his breaks. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and can adjust to slightly off-target throws. He knows how to set up defenders to gain initial separation but lacks the acceleration to maintain the gap. He is competitive to the ball in a crowd, as well as once he gets the ball in his hands. He plays the game strong and knows how to use his strength on his release as well as when running after the catch."
NFLScout.com
'Release: Not really a quick-twitch athlete off the line, but is strong enough to get off jams. Effective at using a head fake or shoulder shake to gain inside or outside position on his man. Used in the slot and in motion quite often. Lacks the straight-line speed to separate from defenders, instead relying on his size and hands to gain an advantage downfield. Lacks a second gear but changes up his gait to freeze his man.
Hands: Adept at handling errant throws in any direction. Strong hands to corral and secure passes quickly. Can track the ball over his shoulder and high-point down the sideline and even act as a defender if the quarterback puts one up for grabs. Inconsistent concentration on routine catches as he tries to run without securing the ball. Will body-catch throws over the middle.
Route running: Quick feet and sinks his hips coming into and out of cuts, running some of the most crisp routes among receivers in this class. Runs nice 45-degree angles on hook routes. Effective using his hands to disengage or swim past corners playing either tight or off the line. Sells routes very well around the goal line. Since his inside routes are very crisp, defenders will bite on the stop-and-go down the seam. Needs to work a bit harder to get open if the quarterback is in trouble, and will stand around waving for the ball instead of getting in the quarterback's line of sight.
After the catch: Used on slip screens, reverses and in the Wildcat (Tulsa calls it the Pelican) to get the ball in his hands. Uses a solid stiff arm, quick cut and his strong build to gain yards after the catch. Shields defenders from the ball on inside routes with his thick frame. Lacks great elusiveness in space,; best when eluding defenders on a dead run. Could be a kickoff return candidate despite a lack of breakaway speed because of his size and willingness to run strong through traffic.
Blocking: Solid blocker on the edge. Strong upper- and lower-body builds. Even when he doesn't latch on to his man, he'll try to keep himself between the defender and the ball. Used as a quasi-lead blocker in some formations, as he can neutralize defensive backs on the edge with his bulk and effort. Could be more consistent sustaining his blocks and getting to linebackers when on the backside of the play.
Intangibles: Rehabbed hard to get back for preseason practice. Well-liked by teammates and appears to have fun playing the game. Participated in the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State (Thibadoux, La.) as a camper in 2008 and a coach in '09.
NFL Comparison: Early Doucet, Cardinals'
Positives:
- He is in SD in a great situation
- He is a great hands catcher that aggresively goes after the ball and makes contested catches
- Very solid route runner
- Strong
- Runs well after the catch
Negatives
- Not a burner
- wasn't drafted
The reason I am interested in him is I think he fits a key role that SD doesn't currently have a solution for. He is potentially a very good possesion reciever....something SD lacks outside of Gates. The fact they signed Josh Reed shows the SD management sees the same thing.
Matt Waldman had him rated #12 ahead of Lafell, Shipley, T. Price and said
"Williams consistently attacks the football in tight
single coverage and has good hands technique. He runs good deep routes and has excellent concentration. He needs to work on press coverage
and his intermediate routes. He doesn't get much fanfare, but he has the skills to develop into a starter."
and
"Coach Bob Toledo, who said the same thing about Matt Forte two years ago, told the press that Jeremy Williams "is an NFL player." Based on the fact that Toledo doesn't say this about all his stars and he's been pretty accurate about the ones he does give this label, he's a player to watch. He is praised for is ability to attack the football as a receiver in single coverage. Williams does have good hands, catching the ball consistently away from his body. He also shows a knack for adjusting to passes thrown over his head, over his shoulder, or turning his shoulders back to the QB, and he can attack the football in tight coverage, showing excellent hand strength and concentration in traffic to win the battle to snatch the ball away from defenders. He understands how to elude a direct collision after the catch, and has enough size to run through arm tackles. He has good vision as an open field runner and even demonstrates patience as a runner behind lead blockers on designed outside runs at the LOS. He runs good deep routes, giving his QB room to throw the ball down the sideline so Williams can work towards the ball. He has enough speed to at least get even with a faster CB in coverage on vertical routes, or break a run for a big gain down the sideline. If he can prove he's a solid route runner on all the basic routes, he has a chance to make a contribution to an NFL team as a rookie. His upside is good enough to be a solid NFL starter because of his after the catch skills, quickness, and very good hands.
NFL.com
"Williams is a quality receiver with top receiving skills but lacks premier top end speed and explosiveness off the line as well as out of his breaks. He has excellent hand-eye coordination and can adjust to slightly off-target throws. He knows how to set up defenders to gain initial separation but lacks the acceleration to maintain the gap. He is competitive to the ball in a crowd, as well as once he gets the ball in his hands. He plays the game strong and knows how to use his strength on his release as well as when running after the catch."
NFLScout.com
'Release: Not really a quick-twitch athlete off the line, but is strong enough to get off jams. Effective at using a head fake or shoulder shake to gain inside or outside position on his man. Used in the slot and in motion quite often. Lacks the straight-line speed to separate from defenders, instead relying on his size and hands to gain an advantage downfield. Lacks a second gear but changes up his gait to freeze his man.
Hands: Adept at handling errant throws in any direction. Strong hands to corral and secure passes quickly. Can track the ball over his shoulder and high-point down the sideline and even act as a defender if the quarterback puts one up for grabs. Inconsistent concentration on routine catches as he tries to run without securing the ball. Will body-catch throws over the middle.
Route running: Quick feet and sinks his hips coming into and out of cuts, running some of the most crisp routes among receivers in this class. Runs nice 45-degree angles on hook routes. Effective using his hands to disengage or swim past corners playing either tight or off the line. Sells routes very well around the goal line. Since his inside routes are very crisp, defenders will bite on the stop-and-go down the seam. Needs to work a bit harder to get open if the quarterback is in trouble, and will stand around waving for the ball instead of getting in the quarterback's line of sight.
After the catch: Used on slip screens, reverses and in the Wildcat (Tulsa calls it the Pelican) to get the ball in his hands. Uses a solid stiff arm, quick cut and his strong build to gain yards after the catch. Shields defenders from the ball on inside routes with his thick frame. Lacks great elusiveness in space,; best when eluding defenders on a dead run. Could be a kickoff return candidate despite a lack of breakaway speed because of his size and willingness to run strong through traffic.
Blocking: Solid blocker on the edge. Strong upper- and lower-body builds. Even when he doesn't latch on to his man, he'll try to keep himself between the defender and the ball. Used as a quasi-lead blocker in some formations, as he can neutralize defensive backs on the edge with his bulk and effort. Could be more consistent sustaining his blocks and getting to linebackers when on the backside of the play.
Intangibles: Rehabbed hard to get back for preseason practice. Well-liked by teammates and appears to have fun playing the game. Participated in the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State (Thibadoux, La.) as a camper in 2008 and a coach in '09.
NFL Comparison: Early Doucet, Cardinals'
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ty for responding
