Scouting Report: D.J. Williams

Arkansas fans had to have been excited when TE D.J. Williams came back for his senior season in 2011 and he did not disappoint them in the least bit. Williams won the first Mackey Award in Arkansas history, which is given to the nation’s best tight end. He started all twelve regular season games of the Razorbacks this past season along with a start in the Sugar Bowl against Ohio State. He finished the 2010 season with 54 receptions for 627 yards and 4 touchdowns. He was also named the 2010 Disney Spirit Award winner, given to the most inspirational figure in all of college football. Here is a closer look at Williams, including what he does best and some of his weaknesses.

Positives

Awareness When Run Blocking

One of the first skills I noticed about Williams when watching him on tape for the first time was his awareness in the open field when the running back would get into the second and third levels. A lot of times you see guys up front take care of their own assignment and watch their back run into the secondary. Williams consistently has his head on a swivel and on most plays was able to help his running back find more room because of blocks he would set on the outside after taking care of the defensive end. While this may not be the most important attribute for a tight end to have, it is not something that is very coachable and shows the kind of non-stop motor that D.J. Williams has.

Catching the Football

While it seems like a broad statement, it is not a skill all receivers and tight ends have. Williams does an outstanding job of attacking the football when it is in the air. While most guys will let some passes into their bodies, he goes and gets it. Another point I noticed while watching him was his concentration on bringing in a pass. He looks the ball in and tucks it away before running with it. A lot of times you will see a classic case of a wide receiver or tight end take his eyes off of the ball and turn up field before tucking it away and it leads to drops. That is not something to fear if D.J. Williams is on your team.

Running After the Catch

While Williams is a great pass catcher, something that impresses me even more is his ability to run with the ball after tucking it away. He is never a player to shy away from contact, often lowering his shoulder into defenders when turning up the field. He is a tremendous stiff arm and will always fight for the extra yard while making sure the ball is secure.

Personality

Overall, D.J. Williams seems to simply be a great guy off of the field. He has spoke to groups such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters and Children’s Hospital about his difficult journey growing up. As mentioned earlier, he was the recipient of the 2010 Disney Spirit Award winner which is given to the most inspirational person in college football. If you look at successful teams in the National Football League, something they all have in common is team players and leadership in the locker room. Whichever team drafts Williams this April will be getting a good person in their locker room.

Weaknesses

Working Off of Jams

One of the biggest weaknesses Williams has is getting held up by linebackers during pass plays coming off of the line of scrimmage. After releasing from the line of scrimmage, he has a tough time getting clean breaks into his route because he gets help up by bigger linebackers in the middle of the field. Williams must work on doing a better job of using his hands to get off of those jams 3-4 yards off the line.

Holding Blocks While Engaged at the Line of Scrimmage

While I talked earlier about Williams’ strength of blocking in space, I found he has some room for improvement when engaged with defenders at the line of scrimmage. He does a good job of getting under a defender’s pads during first contact, but must do a better job at maintaining blocks in the position. One reason for this could be Williams’ 31 inch arm length. It is tougher for blockers with short arms to control the defender in the phone booth. However, this is one aspect of the game that Williams can improve on before he takes his first snap in the NFL.

Fluid Route Running

There is no doubt in my mind that Williams is one of the better tight ends at releasing up the field and getting down the seam. What he does need to improve at is his route running. While tight ends are usually not the best route runners of all the receivers on the field, I want to see more control out of Williams when making in and out breaks. Too often it looked as if he was working so quick to make his cut that his body control got away from him. I would like to see him make sharper cuts while better keeping under control on pass plays.

Overall, D.J. Williams is a terrific athlete with tremendous upside. He plays the game at 100% every snap and is a decent player in every aspect of the game that tight ends are involved with. While he certainly is not the biggest tight end prospect in the draft, he has the ability to help out in the run game with his blocking. He also has great ability to find the windows in a defense and give his quarterback an option in the middle of the field in the passing game.

Projected Round: 3rd-4th

NFL Comparison: Aaron Hernandez, New England Patriots