Strengths
The biggest strength for Mike Williams is just his formidable size and frame. He fits the prototype of the big name receivers that were drafted early in the last couple drafts. He uses his physical play to body receivers and creates separation, even if he is tightly covered. In this play against Georgia Tech in 2016, Williams performs a back shoulder fade in the red zone and uses his size and physically to box the cornerback out away from the ball.
Williams is one of the best in contorting his body and high pointing the ball, snagging it away from defenders. Most of his highlights include a plethora of contested catches that he is well known for. In this game against Pittsburgh in 2016, Williams contorts his body and snatches the ball away from the cornerback at the highest catch point.
He also has good enough hands to be a consistent target (noted 5 total drops in 8 total games).
Most of the drops are concentration drops, which are correctable and if the ball is near Mike Williams, there is a good chance he will go get it. He was a high targeted receiver on the potent Clemson offense is a natural hands catcher most of the time.
Williams can play on the outside or inside as a surprisingly versatile receiver.
He does have some impact on screens/slants and is tough to bring down with some burst once he hits top speed. On vertical routes, Williams can be a force and at times displays the ability to beat press man coverage. And finally, on curls and comebacks, he uses his size to catch away from the defender on a consistent basis. In this game against Auburn in 2016, Williams uses his hands to create separation in tight coverage on the curl route against man coverage.
Weaknesses
The biggest weakness to Mike Williams is top end speed. Against faster NFL cornerbacks that can be physical and jam Williams, would he be able to separate at the next level? In this game against Georgia Tech in 2016, Williams struggles against press man coverage and is inconsistent in route cre
ativity but also physicality at the catch point. He also has to sell the route more and shows clunky footwork at times.
Mike Williams did have a fractured neck in 2015 that was almost career ending. Williams also has to work on the concentration drops and sometimes does not show consistency as a hands catcher. And finally, he does tend to slip and slide and that could lead to interceptions or incompletions. This shows a lack of balance at times and falls down as a result as a top heavy receiver. In the game against Ohio State in 2016, Williams slips on the route and leads to an interception. This was not a one-time thing at Clemson as I saw it multiple times in 2016.
