D’haquille Williams, WR, Auburn: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report

The 2016 NFL draft looks to be a rather interesting one when it comes to wide receivers. What the class may lack in star power they make up for in depth. Here is a look at one of the more unsung names in D’haquille Williams.

Position: WR

School: Auburn

Year: Senior

Height: 6’2″

Weight: 224 lbs

History:

A native of Louisiana, D’haquille “Duke” Williams attended East St. John High School where as a senior he burst on college radars with 1,495 yards receiving and 25 touchdowns. After two years at community college he bypassed LSU to attend Auburn. He made 45 catches for 730 yards and five touchdowns his first season there. Unfortunately his opportunity to continue improving was cut short this past season when he was dismissed from the school in October for punching four people at a bar.

STRENGTHS:

• Good size for the NFL with what appear to be long arms that can stretch high for the football in contested situations.
• Not blazing fast but shows good sudden quickness and has enough speed to turn up the field after the catch.

Note how Williams gets off the snap quick and reaches top speed then cuts sharp to the inside, demonstrating he can the capability to run good routes. The pass is right on time. He catches in stride and without hesitation turns it up the field, showing good aware of his surrounding a decent amount of speed to get yards after the catch.

• Doesn’t lack for effort in trying to break tackles after the catch. Also shows that effort as a run blocker. He’s not overpowering, but he has functional strength.
• Long arms and bigger body offer him matchup advantages when facing tight coverage. Shows he can get off the jam and has the leaping ability to go up and get the football.
• Seems to just have a knack for the big play. Might disappear for a bit but then bursts in again out of nowhere, often for huge gains.

WEAKNESSES

• Must learn to use his hands better. Too often lets the ball get to his body on receptions. That will lead to drops in the NFL.
• Tends to not protect the ball when he’s carrying it. Prone to being stripped.

Both of his hands-related problems show up on this play. Williams runs the right route and gets open. The quarterback also does him no favors leading him into traffic but see how he catches it with his body instead of his arms to grab it and then he doesn’t have the presence of mind or hand strength to secure it. As a result the ball comes out and is ruled a fumble.

• Not very proven on the outside. Played almost exclusively in the slot for Auburn in 2014.
• While he has the strength for run blocking, he struggles to get in proper position to make blocks, too often letting defenders slip past him to make the tackle.
• Can get lackadaisical at times with his concentration, often when he knows he might not be a key part of the play call. Must learn to give consistent effort.

Pro Comparison: Brandon LaFell

Williams, like the New England Patriots receiver, doesn’t come across as the central focus of his teams’ offense. LaFell is more of a situational player who provides a big body for his quarterback to throw to on key downs and also has the capability of producing big plays provided the team makes sure to keep him involved with an occasional pass his way during games. Otherwise he tends to disappear.

Projection: 3rd to 5th rounds

Williams has physical talent to be sure but he lacks experience and proven production against top tier competition. That combined with his off-the-field incident makes it almost certain he’ll be a late Day 2 or Day 3 pick.