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Mike Williams WR Jr USC 6’5 228
By: Robert Davis | Updated: 10/21/2004

Mike Williams is a truly unique talent. In just two seasons at USC, he became the school’s all time leader in touchdown catches with 30, and ranks 4th on the all time reception list with 176. There may not be a better physical specimen in the entire draft.

Williams decided to declare for the draft after the Maurice Clarett situation, and it ended up costing him football this season. He was not allowed to enter the draft and was not allowed back in by the NCAA. Williams did hold a workout for NFL scouts last year, and by most accounts, it was very impressive. Williams checked in at 6’4 5/8” and 228 pounds, while also posting a 4.56 40 time and a 37” vertical jump.

On the football field, very few play as hard and physical as Williams. He is unique because his biggest asset as a football player is his physical nature and strength, which is not what you typically see in a wide receiver. He is not afraid to go over the middle, and will make the difficult grab look routine. There is not a corner in football that can stop Williams in a one on one situation. With his combination of size, jumping ability, and strength, Williams will win out 9 times out of 10 against even the most physical of corners in the league. Williams gets off the line easy, as he has excellent use of his hands, and the strength allows him to toss aside the corner before he can be neutralized. If there is a receiver with better hands than Williams, I haven’t seen him play yet. Mike is going to be a major force in the red zone from his first snap in an NFL game. Mike also happens to be a very good blocker in the run game, and runs very precise routes. He works very hard on every aspect of the game, and it shows on the football field.

The only knock I can see with Williams is his lack of pure deep speed. He does not possess great speed, but it is not something that will hold him back in the NFL. With his size and jumping ability, he can be a downfield threat. USC utilized him a lot on wide receiver screens, and on routes underneath that allowed him to rack up yards after the catch. He’ll never be considered a blazer, but he is not slow by any means. Some people believe the layoff will hurt Williams, but I do not believe it will. He’s a hard worker, and will be working on every facet of his game for NFL teams. He takes a very mature approach to football, and he will be ready come training camp.

I see Williams as a bigger, more athletic version of Cris Carter. All he does is catch touchdowns, and at 6’5 230, he’s going to catch a lot of them. As long as Williams duplicates the numbers he posted in workouts last year, he will be the first wide receiver off the board in this draft.

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