The Washington Commanders may have drafted the answer to all their problems at wide receiver with Clemson’s Antonio Williams in the 3rd round (No. 71 overall).
ESPN’s Ben Solak thought so highly of the pick that he put Williams on his list of “long shot” candidates to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year — the same award Commanders quarterback and 2024 No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels won a few years ago.
“A schematic overhaul is underway in Washington, where the old Kliff Kingsbury college offense has been shed for a Ben Johnson-inspired system that gets under center and hunts explosive plays off play-action,” Solak wrote. “For that offense, which desperately needs a pass catcher opposite Terry McLaurin, the front office handpicked Williams, one of my favorite players in this class. Williams has some Amon-Ra St. Brown to his game since he’s as tough as nails, willing to win downfield throws through contact and slippery in his routes. I would not be surprised if he starts getting more targets than McLaurin by season’s end.”
Commanders in Desperate Need of Legit WR2
There is hope the Commanders may have finally found their WR2 behind $97 million NFL All-Pro Terry McLaurin.
NFL draft expert Ethan Kreager put Williams on his list of the best picks outside of the 1st round, in large part thanks to getting to pair him with 3rd year quarterback Jayden Daniels.
“Awesome landing spot in Washington,” Kreager wrote on his official X account. “Great chance to command targets from day 1.”
With Williams, the Commanders have now drafted a wide receiver in the 3rd or 4th round for the 3rd consecutive season — every draft of the Dan Quinn era. The previous 2 picks can already be looked at as abject failures.
Washington drafted wide receiver Luke McCaffrey in the 3rd round (No. 100 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft, and he has only had 29 receptions for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns through his 1st 2 seasons.
The Commanders drafted wide receiver Jaylin Lane in the 4th round (No. 128 overall) in the 2025 NFL draft, and he did nothing to inspire faith as a rookie — but was better than McCaffrey at least — with 16 receptions for 225 yards and zero touchdowns.
Williams 3-Time All-ACC Selection at Clemson
Williams, 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, was a 3-time All-ACC pick at Clemson and has the kind of speed NFL teams covet after he ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.
In 4 seasons — including just 5 games as a sophomore — Williams had 208 receptions for 2,336 yards and 23 total touchdowns in 42 career games.
NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein correctly predicted Williams as a 3rd round pick.
“Williams is a bona fide ball player with good size and an ability to make mischief when he totes the pigskin,” Zierlein wrote. “There is freestyling inside his routes that create uncertainty for corners but teams might drill down on attention to detail and better efficiency to keep him on schedule. He’s not a field-stretcher but he plays fast from snap to whistle and has the ball skills to bring in challenging catches. He’s more slippery than explosive with outstanding run-after-catch ability. Williams projects as a productive slot receiver with legitimate run/pass/catch talent that should appeal to creative play-callers.”
Commanders Rookie Called ‘Long Shot’ Candidate for NFL Honor