Damian Williams NFL Draft scouting report

Damian Williams
6'1, 195 pounds | Wide receiver | Southern California

Acceleration/Burst/Quickness: Accelerates off the line well initially, but lacks the gear that can get him to top speed quickly. Very light feet that can change direction well.

Agility/Leaping Ability: Very elusive with the ball in his hands. Misses the meat of a tackle and can break free if the defender does not wrap on. Does not out jump many defensive backs downfield. Does a poor job at timing his leaps.

Blocking: Not a physical blocker. Lets aggressive moving safeties blow right past him on the outside. Takes poor angles at the second level.

Body Control/Ball Adjustment: Very well balanced athlete that consistently has his feet under him. Able to adjust in tight spaces to make himself small and tough to get a hold of. Can make the late, subtle movements to adjust to a poorly thrown ball.

Concentration/Hands: Reliable receiver that looks the ball in to his hands. Will sometimes let the ball get in to his body, increasing the chance of a drop. Able to zero in on the ball through traffic. Catches and moves north in one motion.

Release: Does not battle press coverage physically, often tries to juke the cornerback. Will take too long to get in to his route against good press coverage. Does take advantage of a little bit of space however because of his ability to shake a defender and run free.

Route Running: The best part of his game. Excels at getting in and out of breaks at a high speed. Can run the full route tree. Sells the double moves with the little details that corners zero in on. Uses the head and arms to improve his routes.

Separation: Can create space underneath with his strong plant-and-go steps. But does not maintain separation downfield, lacks the deep field speed. A weapon on the third and five plays because of the space he can create in the short routes.

Size/Length/Hand Size: Average on all accounts. Stands at only 6’1, weighs under 200 pounds. Needs to add some bulk to be able to fight the jam at the point of attack. Has long arms for his frame.

Speed: Can run away from most defenders but he lacks the top tier speed in the open field. More of a quick mover than a fast mover. Lacks the high gear when running deep routes.

Vision/Run After the Catch: One of the top punt returners in the country in 2008. Reads blocks well and can slip thorough small windows to spring himself in to the open field. A weapon in the screen game that lets blocks develop and chooses the right time to explode. Does not break a lot of tackles but he does miss the meat of a lot of hits.

Final Word: Williams, because he transferred from Arkansas following the 2006 season, played three seasons at the collegiate level despite being in school for four years. His record off the field is clean and Pete Caroll raves about his character. On the field, Williams led the Trojans offense in receving for two straight seasons as he proved to be a guy that can do it in a variety of ways. He is mainly a short-to-intermediate threat that runs impeccable routes and catches most passes near his body. He is very elusive with the ball in his hands and more than capable of being a big time playmaker at the next level. The forty time may not be as low as some prefer thus the chances of him breaking in to the first round are questionable. Should be a good pro, closer to Steve Smith than Dwayne Jarrett production wise.