The Washington Commanders have selected Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams with the No. 71 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Williams, who was a standout player for the Tigers, was a Third Team All-ACC selection and led the team with 55 receptions for 604 yards and four touchdowns. A player who can make plays with the ball in his hands, Williams is a four-year contributor who has speed, quickness and rare route running ability. He had 2,320 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns on 207 catches in his career.
"Williams is a bona fide ball player with good size and an ability to make mischief when he totes the pigskin," wrote NFL.com's Lance Zierlein. "There is freestyling inside his routes that create uncertainty for corners but teams might drill down on attention to detail and better efficiency to keep him on schedule. He's not a field-stretcher but he plays fast from snap to whistle and has the ball skills to bring in challenging catches. He's more slippery than explosive with outstanding run-after-catch ability. Williams projects as a productive slot receiver with legitimate run/pass/catch talent that should appeal to creative play-callers."
Williams was one of the better deep threats in college football over the last two seasons, recording nine receiving touchdowns of at least 20 yards since 2024. Williams also has exceptional separation ability, as he ranked in the 88th percentile against single coverage. Williams was at his best in 2024, when he recorded 904 yards and 11 touchdowns on 75 catches. Williams has the ability to take over games at times, as he has two games with at least 140 yards since 2024.
Commanders analyst Logan Paulsen had Williams as his 44th-best player available heading into Day 2, writing that Williams was underutilized at Clemson and can create separation from the slot.
Washington was relatively thin at playmakers opposite Terry McLaurin, although the did add depth with players like Dyami Brown and Van Jefferson. They might not be done with the position, but they did provide quarterback Jayden Daniels with another weapon to work with.
