Baylor WR Terrance Williams seems good fit for Dolphins

[JDRA20]

He reminds me so much of Brian Hartline, except a notch faster. He has very good hands for the most part and can make some tough catches in traffic, and shows good ability to control his body in the air while making a catch. He even had some great toe drags in the games I saw (vs. Texas, vs. West Virginia). Where he seems to struggle is making guys miss. He rarely breaks tackles or shows the ability to get by a defender in a one on one situation, but if he has good blocking, he will usually hit the hole.

Again, I only watched those two games so take what I said with a grain of salt.

 

[NUGap]

I'm just wondering what tape there is out there of Williams being so bad at dealing with press. Can anyone point to anything specific?

There isn't. I just looked through about 4 games of his and the Senior Bowl (quickly albeit) and I counted one time of getting jammed at the line and that was in the Senior Bowl. Granted I didn't go through each practice, but I couldn't find many instances of him being pressed at all, much less having trouble with it.

Williams is one of those guys I keep changing my mind on. I really liked him early on and then not so much, now I'm liking him again. I think people are projecting the bad off of press thing because it seems like it could be true with someone of his size. For what it's worth, my main concern is that it seems like he's awkward running double moves and other more 'complex routes'. Sometimes he gets into them and his arms start flailing a little bit, looking a bit awkward. I'm not sure if that's completely a bad thing or if it can be coached out. But that, not his ability to get off press, is my main concern.

 

[ckparrothead]

Idk I took some time to look at both Williams and Hopkins and I still see Hopkins as the better playmaker. And Williams is only an inch or two taller and afew lbs heavier. As far as the deepthreat thing, I saw Hopkins catch as many if not more bombs than Williams did. I also saw the Senior Bowl and only saw Williams catch a couple balls and go out of bounds. Can you provide me a link of anything that can impress me because I'm just not convinced Williams to go higher than Hopkins. (Of course here's to is grabbing Patterson at 12 so we don't have to worry about either one he he he)

I'm not trying to tell you that you have to like Terrance Williams. I respect your disagreement on him. I was just asking a question because I keep hearing about how bad he is dealing with press which is something I've not really seen at all. He wasn't the most advanced at it during the Senior Bowl practices I saw televised but I also saw him at those practices getting beyond the jam and separating, making plays.

---------- Post added at 01:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 PM ----------

And what about this Da'Rick Rogers guy? The guy looks like he belongs in the conversation of WRs right after Patterson.

IMO, slow. Wouldn't surprise me if he ran close to a 4.6.

 

[hoops]

senior bowl one on ones williams had a tough time getting off press...he also measured out shorter than expected not as big a wr as i thought...can get vertical but needs to use his hands more...he's not a top 50 guy for me...i like him more late 2nd early 3rd...runs pretty good routes...i don't think dbs can just sit on his routes and squat like i saw a lot of guys doing senior bowl week...but he needs to get off the line better...hurts his stock for me some

 

[ckparrothead]

There isn't. I just looked through about 4 games of his and the Senior Bowl (quickly albeit) and I counted one time of getting jammed at the line and that was in the Senior Bowl. Granted I didn't go through each practice, but I couldn't find many instances of him being pressed at all, much less having trouble with it.

Williams is one of those guys I keep changing my mind on. I really liked him early on and then not so much, now I'm liking him again. I think people are projecting the bad off of press thing because it seems like it could be true with someone of his size. For what it's worth, my main concern is that it seems like he's awkward running double moves and other more 'complex routes'. Sometimes he gets into them and his arms start flailing a little bit, looking a bit awkward. I'm not sure if that's completely a bad thing or if it can be coached out. But that, not his ability to get off press, is my main concern.

I think he's good in tight, physical coverage. He separates. He's used to working with a condensed space at Baylor because in that offense they always have wide receivers on both sides lined up outside the numbers...the widest splits in college ball. He's got a narrow patch of grass to work with when it comes to getting open vertically but he does it with regularity.

At the Senior Bowl in practice I saw him not handle the press as quickly as some of the other guys (Markus Wheaton), but I also saw him creating separation after the press and making plays on the football.

 

[hoops]

drick rodgers may not be a burner i think he's a mid to late 4.5's guy but he's got sweet feet for his size and some wiggle...his problem is gonna be character and off the field stuff...i don't think ireland and philbin will touch him

 

[MrEd]

I'm not trying to tell you that you have to like Terrance Williams. I respect your disagreement on him. I was just asking a question because I keep hearing about how bad he is dealing with press which is something I've not really seen at all. He wasn't the most advanced at it during the Senior Bowl practices I saw televised but I also saw him at those practices getting beyond the jam and separating, making plays.

---------- Post added at 01:37 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:36 PM ----------



IMO, slow. Wouldn't surprise me if he ran close to a 4.6.

I can respect that. Though I'm reading that Da'Rick Rogers runs in the 4.33/4.44 range. But I look forward to the Combine just in case that's just propaganda.

 

[hoops]

williams also got a ton of clean releases at baylor...rarely pressed...so he was able to get off the los and into his routes unimpeded...may just be he needs more time to work on hand use and physicality at the los and to get off guys i do really like the way though he plays the sideline and tight spaces so well...thats something for instance clyde gates never figured out...he just let dbs ride him right out of bounds and gave the qb no target...

i like williams more than hopkins...dbs will have to respect williams ability to get over the top on him...which will open up some things underneath for him...

 

[ckparrothead]

I can respect that. Though I'm reading that Da'Rick Rogers runs in the 4.33/4.44 range. But I look forward to the Combine just in case that's just propaganda.

I think that's some heavy propaganda. Doesn't run that fast on the field, that's for sure.

 

[hoops]

yeah there's no way he's blazing 4.33...doesn't play anywhere near that fast...late 4.5's

 

[ckparrothead]

williams also got a ton of clean releases at baylor...rarely pressed...so he was able to get off the los and into his routes unimpeded...may just be he needs more time to work on hand use and physicality at the los and to get off guys i do really like the way though he plays the sideline and tight spaces so well...thats something for instance clyde gates never figured out...he just let dbs ride him right out of bounds and gave the qb no target...

i like williams more than hopkins...dbs will have to respect williams ability to get over the top on him...which will open up some things underneath for him...

While this is true, Terrance Williams is merely one member of a club with more members than the AARP when it comes to this issue in college football.

As for what he showed in the Senior Bowl I just think we have to be careful not to over-rate the importance. How many televised snaps would you estimate you saw of Williams getting pressed at Senior Bowl practices? Maybe 2? Maybe 3? And I do recall specifically at least one of those he got off the jam and into his route, created a nice amount of separation.

 

[hoops]

absolutely all the soft coverage looks in college football are a problem when it comes to evaluating wrs...heck they wouldn't even let you press the wrs in the senior bowl game...all off coverages...so it's not like you can look to there for anything...

i don't think i have a problem with t williams at #56 for us...i wouldn't pull the trigger any higher though...not all that physical a wr i don't see a lot of rac and making guys miss there with the ball in his hands...but i do like that dbs can't sit on stuff with him and he has deceptive long speed...i'd like it more though if he was a little bigger than he came in at...

 

[ckparrothead]

I also see Terrance Williams' physicality being questioned while he's out on the route. I think that's fair at times. But let's not pretend this is an easy one to peg.

There's this play on the ball in physical coverage, which is just fantastic:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=2s

When you see a play like this, you see him dive to the ground. But is that because he's afraid of contact? Or because he has a keen awareness of where the 1st down marker is and doesn't want to risk getting hit high and driven backward just shy of it, when he knows he can dive low and stick the ball over the marker he needs? You decide:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=46s

And maybe we all have different standards for what press coverage is...but this looks like press to me. Does he finish this catch? No. The corner did a good job reaching in after the catch and stripping the football as he's trying to secure the ball. But I thought the issue we're worried about is how he gets off the press? Here he does just that and creates separation.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=68s

Again here, we're worried about press, right? The corner here is IN press. Does he get hands on Williams? No. He can't, because Williams effectively used a jab step to prevent it. Defeating the press isn't all about being physically strong or using your hands. Using your feet to defeat the press is just as important as using your hands.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=104s

The man is criticized for physicality, and surely he doesn't win every block...but he sure did win this one which helped create about 10 more yards...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=159s

And this is also a 1st down producing block.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=210s

And this stood a fair chance at being a touchdown-producing block.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=237s

Here again is what I talked about before. Sometimes you see this and you think it's a tendency away from physicality, away from physically challenging the defender. Maybe it is. But it could also easily be a guy just prioritizing the 1st down marker.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=193s

This is tight, physical coverage deep down the field. Look how he uses his hands to create the separation needed to make this play. The corner complains about OPI but you're not often getting the flag for this at either level.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=219s

Here again...how do people see plays like this and come away thinking this guy can't handle physicality in coverage? Look how he uses his hands to physically get by a player trying to sit on his route. Then he finishes it off with a high point catch while a guy was physically draped on him.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=2YJfv6I7ZfA#t=252s

And that's all just one game.

 

[ckparrothead]

Also one thing to keep in mind is that during the Senior Bowl practices, especially the NORTH practices...those guys weren't just jamming receivers. They weren't just being physical with them. In games, about 3 out of every 5 of those reps would've drawn a flag. The defensive players were told to be physical, they got TOO physical, and nobody on the staff corrected them. They were guilty of textbook holding or pass interference like I said probably on 60 percent of the snaps, and it made evaluation of the receivers extremely difficult.

 

[ckparrothead]

My goodness how did he catch this football. Feet in bounds? No. That wasn't possible, based on the timing and placement of the throw. But when it comes to evaluation you've got to look at raw skills. Look at the raw skill it took to hold onto this football all the way to the ground. That's NFL skill. Incidentally I'm pretty sure that should've been called a touchdown as per college rules. He scraped his left toe impossibly on the turf before it went out of bounds.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=yjqGTNWQ_q8#t=114s

Nice physical catches on these 8 plays as well...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3ASYyhUB4&feature=player_detailpage#t=62s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3ASYyhUB4&feature=player_detailpage#t=80s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3ASYyhUB4&feature=player_detailpage#t=89s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3ASYyhUB4&feature=player_detailpage#t=98s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3ASYyhUB4&feature=player_detailpage#t=167s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3ASYyhUB4&feature=player_detailpage#t=175s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3ASYyhUB4&feature=player_detailpage#t=184s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ep3ASYyhUB4&feature=player_detailpage#t=191s

Man. Remember back when people questioned whether this guy could deal with physical coverage and make contested catches? Heh.