STRONG POINTS

Williams is an excellent natural athlete with the acceleration and playing speed to stay with any NFL receiver on deep routes down the field. He has excellent hips, which helps him be very good in bump-and-run coverage. He can jolt receivers with a hard jam, can turn and run without losing a step and stays right on the receiver's hip throughout the route. When he keeps his knees bent in the backpedal, he has shown ability to plant, drive and close explosively on passes in front of him. His hands and athleticism allow him to break up or intercept passes without committing the penalty. He is more competitive than most cornerbacks, and when he bends his knees and stays under control, he is a strong and physical tackler.

WEAKNESSES

Williams' biggest problem is that his footwork and backpedal is raw and this hinders his ability to transition out of the backpedal consistently and leads to him being a beat late getting to the receiver. Additionally, Williams is often right on the receiver's hip in coverage, but allows the catch and seems content to just make the tackle after the catch. Williams gets out of control at times when he comes up on plays in front of him and it leads to him lunging and missing some tackles he should make.

POSITIONAL FACTORS

Grade Category Comments/Description 6.0 Read & React Consistently reads the play very fast and can react quickly, but bad footwork hinders him at times. 5.5 M/M Off Flashes ability to be very good, but too often struggles in transition and allows separation. 6.0 M/M Tight Sloppy backpedal hinders him at times, but usually stays right on receiver's hip all over the field. 6.5 Zone Coverage Reads quarterback pass well, breaks on ball and consistently makes hard tackles or breaks up passes right after the catch. 6.0 Break & Close Can be excellent, but his backpedal hinders his ability to consistently transition and close quickly. 7.0 Hips/Turn Ability He has excellent hips and has shown ability to flip hips and turn and run without losing a step. 6.0 Tackling He's generally a good tackler, but occasionally he gets overaggressive and will lunge and miss tackles. 6.0 Hands - Interception On few chances, he has shown the hands to reach out and make tough interceptions. 6.5 Hands - Fight Blocker has shown a willingness to fight through blocks to try and make tackles on plays in front of him. 7.5 Deep Speed He has big time playing speed and can stay right with receivers on deep routes downfield. 6.0 Return Ability He has the explosiveness, playing speed and agility to become a good returner in the NFL. 6.0 Errors He does not make any glaring mental errors, but he needs to improve his backpedal to be consistent.

ATHLETIC ABILITY	Section Grade: 6.5
Williams is a very good athlete with the physical tools to be a very good NFL corner, but must improve his technique to play up to his ability in the NFL. For a 6-foot-2 cornerback, Williams has very good foot quickness, can accelerate to full speed in a flash and has the playing speed to run with receivers on deep routes. He has great hips and in press coverage has shown the ability to flip hips to turn and run with receivers without losing a step. His foot quickness, agility, balance and flexibility help him to explosively close on passes in front of him when he is playing over his feet and not out of position due to bad footwork. His coordination shows in his ability to change directions very quickly from awkward positions without losing footing or stumbling.
Q.A.B. Quick Feet C.O.D. Flexibility Coordination 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5 6.5

COMPETITIVENESS	Section Grade: 6.0
Williams is a tough cornerback who has played through pain and has shown the ability to come up quickly and aggressively in run support and make hard hits. The trouble with Williams' production -- overall and on important downs -- is that because his backpedal is not smooth and disciplined, he struggles to consistently transition and close to make plays on the ball. When he is in good position, he can close on passes fast and has shown the hands and body control to reach around the receiver to break up the pass without committing the penalty. In zone coverage, he does a very good job of reading the quarterback pass, breaks and closes fast and either breaks up the pass or makes the hard hit right after the catch. Williams is a tough, hard-nosed team player who consistently has shown a willingness to come up in run support and tackle bigger ball carriers.
Toughness Clutch Play Production Consistency Team Player Pride/Quit 6.0 6.0 6.0 5.5 6.5 6.5

MENTAL ALERTNESS	Section Grade: 5.5
Williams shows he has learned well when you see his technique in press coverage and his tackling technique, but it is a concern that he has not learned a good backpedal. He has very good instincts, which helps him to react quickly, but because his backpedal is raw, he struggles to react and close in time to break up passes. He generally plays with good focus and concentration, which helps him to play well despite bad footwork.
Learn/Retain Instincts/Reactions Concentration 5.5 6.0 6.0

STRENGTH/EXPLOSION	Section Grade: 7.5
Williams has rare height for a cornerback at over 6-foot-2, is solidly built and has good long arms. He has been a durable cornerback at Virginia Tech, and with his size, strength and natural athleticism, there's no doubt he will be a very durable NFL cornerback. He is an extremely explosive athlete, which helps him to close on passes surprisingly well despite his bad footwork and backpedal move. His explosiveness also shows in his ability to make very hard and physical tackles. He has excellent playing strength for a cornerback. He has shown the ability to jolt and slow the receiver's release and can re-route the receiver throughout route. Additionally, when he bends his knees and tackles with good technique, he has the strength to be a strong tackler at the point of attack.
Body Type Durability Explosion Play Strength 8.0 7.0 7.0 7.0