Damian Williams Scouting Report

Late in December, Williams declared eligible to enter the NFL draft. The decision comes on the heels of an outstanding performance in the Emerald Bowl against Boston College. His 12 reception for 189 yards night served notice to many NFL scouts that he is ready for prime time after having an injury-riddle first couple of seasons at USC. Williams came in to his own in 2008 with a 50-reception, 6 TD campaign as a sophomore. But it was his 2009 performance that put him on then map. Overall, the explosive wideout led the Trojans with 58 catches, six on which went for scores. Shows great anticipation and hand-eye coordination. Excels in adjusting to bad passes. Has long arms and good leaping ability. Good size and decent bulk. Is at his best against man-to-man coverage. Has the ability to separate from defenders consistently. Better than average speed (4.47). Elusive in the open field. Gives effort and shows toughness. However, he must learn to recognize zone coverage better and find soft spots. Has not shown on a consistent bases the explosiveness and burst his speed suggests. Must improve his upper body strength and develop more reliable moves in order to avoid jams at the line. Needs to get stronger and must improve route running technique. Williams is a tall receiver with good speed and agility. He has a rare big play ability which will entice many clubs to gamble on a USC WR. He will be a good value in the late stages of the second round. 4/1 Update: But Williams may not make it to the end of the second round. After running step for step with Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas in the 40, Williams is emerging as one of the better receivers in this class. He lacks the size of Bryant or Thomas, but he is a great athlete and has a burst of quickness that some other receivers in this class lack. He will not pass Bryant, or possibly even Thomas, on most draft boards, but he should be the third, fourth or fifth receiver taken and that puts him squarely in round two.