UNC QB Marquise Williams Early NFL Draft Scouting Notes
With one of the most exciting quarterback classes to come along in some time, Marquise Williams at North Carolina is sort of a forgotten man. The redshirt senior enters his final season at Chapel Hill as one of only four quarterbacks last season in college football to throw for 3,000 yards and run for 750.
He put up great numbers, totaling 34 touchdowns (21 passing, 13 rushing) and had some of his biggest games on the biggest stages.
There’s a lot of scouting work to be done yet, but clearly this is a player we all need to be keeping an eye on. Here are some of his highlights from a big game against Georgia Tech last season.
These evaluations are very preliminary, but here are some things I like about Williams’ game.
- Ability to throw under pressure. There are a couple of throws I’ve seen him make, including one in that Georgia Tech highlight above, where he makes just an incredible throw deep downfield under serious duress, even while absorbing a hit. He takes a shot in the GT game there, delivers a perfect back shoulder strike to the receiver who makes an awesome grab and scores. It’s a big time throw from a big time player.
- Obviously, Williams has the ability to run, and he runs well. I don’t think, however, that’s the reason he’s successful as a thrower. What I mean by that is, I don’t see a guy here who simply tucks the ball and runs, and just takes what he’s given all the time in the passing game. He has some serious arm talent, and he’s taken steps to hone those skills.
- Williams took part in the Manning Passing Academy this offseason, as well as the George Whitfield quarterback camp. He’s trying to zone in on his passing skills and I really like that work ethic from a young quarterback.
- He’s showed some serious moxie and playmaking ability in big spots. Taking over for an injured Bryn Renner, he led UNC to a bowl win and played great as a junior.
- At 6-2, 220 pounds, he has the size NFL teams covet in the quarterback position. He knows how to use his size and athleticism to escape the pocket.
- Would like to see him improve consistency of accuracy on throws.
- Does a good job stepping into throws and making plays downfield.
Overall Thoughts
I felt like after watching some of what Williams can do and is capable of doing when at his best, he is a player who is vastly underrated at this point. He’s going to surprise some people this year and I think be in the discussion among some of the top draftable quarterbacks next year.