WR, Derrick Williams, Penn St.

WR, Derrick Williams, Penn St.

Pros:  Good height with a strong upper body. Quick off the line, reaching top speed within a couple of steps. Uses moves and his hands to get off press coverage. Lines up in the slot and outside. Finds holes in the end zone and presents a target. Typically solid hands, catching the ball away from his frame. Cognizant of the sidelines, and can tightrope or tiptoe to stay in-bounds. Good hands on returns, catching punts over his shoulder if necessary. Retains the catch after a big hit. Excellent straight-line speed and quickness; able to make the first defender miss. Takes direct snaps and handoffs, and is willing to run tough inside. Shows nice vision and toughness after the catch, as a returner and getting the occasional carry as a running back. Very willing blocker downfield, using his strength, good angles and sound technique to keep safeties and corners out of the play. Team captain as a senior, and a vocal leader in practice and during games. Deflects credit to his teammates after big games. Stayed a positive leader while not putting up huge numbers in 2008.

Cons:  Was never "the guy" at Penn State, so it's not clear if he's an elite receiver. Lacks the short-area quickness or elusiveness most top NFL returners exhibit. Needs to work a bit on his footwork coming in and out of routes. Does not always separate from defenders as his timed speed would indicate. Concentration lapses occasionally when trying to make a move after the catch.

Around MHR:

Around SBNation:

From Scouting Report at Mocking the Draft:

An excellent athlete with incredible speed and agility. Top-notch change-direction ability. Much like DeSean Jackson, Williams can break a play open at any time. Dangerous after the catch. Decent hands, even though he sometimes catches passes in his body. Intelligent player who has played several different positions. Quick off the snap. A competitive player who became one of Penn State’s team captains as a senior.

From Stampede Blue:

At 6'0, 194 pounds, Williams is exactly the kind of WR the Colts like. As you will often hear me say in several draft profiles, height is one of the most over-rated "traits" people factor in when it comes to evaluating a player. Marvin Harrison is 6'0, and he's the greatest WR not named Jerry Rice (who was also 6'0). So, when I hear these idiots yack about how "tall" a WR is, I just ignore it. Tall receivers tend to lack a low center of gravity. They tend to run sloppy routes, and lack quickness. Again, this is in general. And a WR who cannot run a clean, precise route is a garbage WR. A WR without quickness and speed is a limited player. Guys like Keyshawn Johnson, Matt Jones, Buster Davis, and pretty much every WR drafted by the Detroit Lions (sans Calvin Johnson) all fit the "he's tall, let's draft him!" category. Meanwhile, the Marvin Harrisons, Torry Holts, Issac Bruces, Hines Wards, and Steve Smiths of this league dominate the WR position.

Highlights:

Scouting Reports and Offsite Links:

• Derrick Williams played in January's Senior Bowl. Williams had an up and down week of practice, however. He showed excellent body control during drills, but his route running needs improvement. Early in the week Williams had a lot of trouble fielding punts, which may scare off some teams. He did rebound to finish the practice week strong and had a solid game. He recorded 2 catches for 19 yards, returned a punt for 11 yards, and returned 3 kicks for 89 yards.  [see more...]
• Excellent athleticism...Has good speed and plays fast...Extremely quick...Terrific change of direction skills...Very elusive...Outstanding vision...Runs well after the catch...Solid ball skills...Tough with adequate strength...Not afraid to work the middle...Gives good effort as a blocker...Fantastic return man...Offers a lot of versatility...Very competitive...Intelligent...Mature...Solid intangibles... Still has upside.  [see more...]
• Graduating in December 2008, Williams was selected a second-team All-American by The Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation, adding first-team All-Big Ten Conference honors. He was the only player in the nation to score this season via a rush, reception, kickoff return and punt return. He accomplished three of the above during a brilliant performance in the primetime win over Illinois, becoming the first player under Joe Paterno to score a via a rush, reception and kick return in the same game.
  
  Williams accumulated a career-high 241 all-purpose yards vs. the Illini, the most by a Nittany Lion since Larry Johnson in 2002. He ranked second in the conference with a 25.75-yard average on 20 kickoff returns, adding 169 yards and a score on 18 punt returns (9.4 avg).
  
  Williams hauled in 44 passes, second on the team, good for 485 yards (11.0 avg) and four touchdowns. He also had 243 yards and three scores on 43 carries, finishing the season with 1,412 all-purpose yards, the 12th-best season total in school history.  [see more...]
• Widely considered the top overall prospect out of high school in 2005, Derrick Williams spurned a lot of other schools to attend Penn State. He never really lived up to the hype until his senior season and even then had only an average season. Williams made an immediate impact as a true freshman before missing the second half of the season when he broke his arm. He returned as a sophomore and started every game the rest of his career so durability isn’t a huge concern. Williams collected only nine receiving touchdowns over his four year career and his single-season high for receiving yards came in 2007 when he collected just 529 yards. He does have explosive athleticism and is a threat to take it the distance on any play. Williams is extremely quick and elusive in the open field. He isn’t a polished receiver and still has much room to improve with his route running, focus, and hands. Williams is a big-play return man, but does have a reputation for botching punts. He is very tough and competitive and works hard off the field. Williams has a quick burst off the snap and is quick out of his breaks. He has average, but not great size and strength. Williams is a versatile talent who can play all over the field. His lack of production over his career could be due to his lack of an impact quarterback (until Daryl Clark this past year) and the fact that he had to battle fellow receivers Deon Butler and Jordan Norwood for playing time.  [see more...]
• Williams is an outstanding athlete. His quickness and elusiveness in space make him a valuable playmaker for any team that gets him. Williams has the ability to catch, run, and throw the ball and that makes him an immediate asset to a team with a wide open offense. Williams is a physical strong player who is a very aggressive blocker.  [see more...]