Opening Statement:
"So, I will start with a little opening statement and then ask away but, Antonio Williams, Clemson, wide receiver. Really, really, really impressed by Antonio. We had him in on a 30 visit and really liked him. You know, [Assistant General Manager] Lance Newmark and I went out there during the season and got a chance to talk to [Clemson University Head Coach] Dabo [Swinney] and [Clemson University Wide Receivers Coach] Woody McCorvey out there. They spoke extremely highly of him. [Washington College Scout] Dustin Regan, our area scout, really swears by him. Had a great talk with him before we made the pick. And so, really a top-notch young man, super hard worker, consistent, the same guy every day. High, high FBI, can multi-align, understands the game, understands zone, understands man, understands how to win and he's super competitive. He's super tough. Played through broken ribs in 2024. Fought through a hamstring injury this year, which really limited his production, but played through the whole thing. So, this guy's a tough kid and you go back and watch his 2024 film, you really get to see what a special talent he is. I'd describe him as just a great athlete. Great athlete, really fast and he's fast in a lot of different ways. He's fast at the 40 time. The GPS is really, really high on him. End game. And then the old scout's eye, you see him, he plays fast and he plays at a high level. He's an NFL route runner. He can win versus press. He can beat man coverage and so we really like the versatility of him as well. He can play inside. He played a lot inside this year. He played outside last year and that's really the thing that differentiated him from a lot of guys is winning outside and winning against really good players outside, especially in 2024. So, NFL route runner there's just a lot of really, really good things about him and just an all around great package. So thrilled to have him, thrilled to add him to the wide receiver room and just a happy, good couple days here. So go ahead."
On what skills allow him to be productive inside and out:
"Yeah, that's a great question. Well, I think, if he could, he can play Z and F or you know, Z and slot. And so, he'll work at both of those. The things that he can show you can play outside. He's not huge, but he is not small. He's just a hair under six feet and he's a really tough player and he's got really good releases. He plays really fast. So those things allow him to win on the outside versus bigger corners. So even though he is not a 6-4 guy, he can still win on the outside and his speed and his releases and his route running and his details allow him to do that. And the same thing with inside is he can win with his quickness as well."
On a specific game where Williams caught his attention:
"I think there's a lot of games. I think the one that really sold it for me was playing Georgia in 2024, and just seeing him play outside and just seeing him win like you would see NFL guys win on Sundays."
On what stood out about Williams' route running:
"Just the speed and the detail and the precision and the quickness in and out of breaks. You know, he doesn't look like a college guy out there and that's how they describe him too. He's meticulous with his details and just really like when we went and saw him, like he's practicing and it wasn't, whether it's a walkthrough or a full speed practice, he's taking it serious. And you saw that all come together on the field."
On the importance of getting a receiver:
"Yeah, it was, it was really important to get a receiver somewhere in this draft. You know, we thought, I mean, we could have gone anywhere. We actually stuck to our board and he was the highest guy on our board when we picked. And you know, it happened to be at a position that we could really use it. So, it's nice when that comes together and yeah, we're thrilled to have another guy in the receiver room."
On how drafting Williams effects the perception of the rest of the receiver room:
"No, it's just great competition. It really is. And those guys will all battle and I think I really like the competition and they're all highly competitive guys and they're good teammates, so I think it'll add to a really good culture in that room with [Wide Receivers] Coach [Bobby] Engram."
On potentially adding more players in free agency after the NFL Draft:
"We're always adding all the way to the last game [laughs]."
On what stood out to the scouts about Williams:
"Yeah that's a great question and like I said earlier, Dustin Regan did a great job. He's an outstanding area scout and they really, really speak extremely highly of him. And he's been like that his whole career, very consistent every day. Very detailed, very hardworking, just really a pro's pro in his approach in every facet. And there's a lot of guys we really like and trust there and they shoot us straight and they couldn't speak highly enough about him. They go out their way to sit and say great things about him."
On valuing toughness at the receiver position:
"It's very important and it's very important for a lot of different reasons. You know, just mental and physical toughness and that's every single position in football, you got to be tough both mentally and physically and he showed both of that, both of those things, just pushing through injuries and then also on the field, the way he blocks. I don't think I mentioned that earlier, he is a good blocker as well. He's a willing blocker. He is a tough blocker and he is willing to sell out over the middle. You know, there's a lot of plays where he is exposed but will go up and get it, and he's not worried about getting hit and that impressed me a lot too actually. I saw that and I wasn't expecting that and then seeing that on the tape it was really a pleasant surprise."
On Williams' style of play and on him saying he is a smooth operator:
"Yeah, his nickname's going to be Sade. We'll call him that forever now [laughs]. But no, he makes it look easy and his speed is easy. And so, I can see that, but yeah, you really see like a really technique sound, smooth player out on the field, yeah."
On factoring in height when drafting receivers:
"No, I think it's just kind of how the board falls and how we're looking at guys and I think in this particular case, and every case is different, but he's not huge, but he is not small either. And neither is [WR] Luke [McCaffrey]. Luke's pretty big too. And so, where they're not the 6-2, 6-3, 6-4 guys, but they can play and they can run and they can do the other things that maybe allow you to play outside, yeah."
On a receiver who can create separation at the top of the route:
"Yeah, I think he's really advanced for a college player. And those are the things you usually learn in the NFL level and just those nuances as you grow as a player, as you learn new things and everything like that. And he looks like that already. And I think that that was what I was trying to express is that all those different things, those are the things that'll win at our level and he's already doing them. And so, it makes it an easier evaluation when you see that on the tape, and you don't have to project it. A lot of times you have to project those things. You can see it in their movements, you can see it in sometimes how they move with the ball in their hands rather than as a route runner because a lot of times they're not asked to run certain routes or the route tree isn't as diverse in college football as it is in the pros, you have to project a lot. But with him you see it and you see it consistently and you see him win with it."
On Williams' drop rate falling in 2025:
"Yeah, I think sometimes there's a little bit of variance in that, but in terms of just watching him and watching his catching skills live, that helps a lot when you watch them in person and then watch him throughout his career and everything. I actually thought he had really good hands, yeah."
On how Williams can complement WR Terry McLaurin:
"Yeah, I think Terry, you see Terry can do just about everything, right? Can certainly take the top off the defense and yeah, he's a great deep ball receiver. Antonio will be able to, you could see him play vertically also, but he is really good underneath, and so you can see him really helping us out on third down. So, we'll have multiple guys that you'll have multiple guys across the formation that can win on third down. And I think not only him and Terry, but the rest of the guys and so it just adds one more to that group. So, he's quick and he's fast and he's just a really good route runner. I think if you compare those, probably he's more of the underneath guy than Terry, but certainly versatile enough to do all the rest of the stuff."
On what he's looking to accomplish tomorrow and on if they'll just take the best player on their board at each pick:
"Yeah, there's really nothing where we got to say, 'Okay, we have to go get this position,' or anything like that. So, we're going to get the best guys on the board, the best Commanders, the guys that fit us and can help add to this culture, this team, the competition, the depth and just raise the level of this team. So, we have some good picks and looking forward to getting them."
