Garrett Williams NFL Draft Profile, Team Fits

Garrett Williams NFL Draft Overview

Position: Cornerback
Height: 5′-10″
Weight: 194 pounds
School: Syracuse

2023 NFL Draft Profiles

2023 NFL Draft: Garrett Williams Scouting Report

Garrett Williams’ first season of college football was in the 2020 Covid-19 shortened season, in which he played in all 11 of the Orange’s games. Williams had a monstrous season, in which he had 64 tackles (54 solo, 10 assisted), one sack, two interceptions, and a touchdown, along with ten passes defended. In his second season in 2021, he played in 10 of the Orange’s 12 games, recording 52 total tackles (36 solo, 16 assisted), while defending against nine passes. In his third and final season in 2022, Williams played in seven of 13 games totaling 35 tackles (26 solo, nine assisted), one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two interceptions, and had three passes he defended against.

Strengths

• Shows off physicality on run defense;
• Sound biomechanics, including footwork;
• Has not committed a penalty in the previous two seasons, combined;
• Wraps up receivers on catches to limit yards after catch (YAC);
• Has good recovery speed to get back to the receiver on routes where the receiver gets open.

Weaknesses

• Has trouble maintaining speed on long routes while in man coverage;
• Allows too many completions on contested catches;
• Is off balance when attempting to make tackles in the open field, especially on run plays;
• Has a habit of playing the ball and not the receiver;
• Rarely attempts to break on the ball even when the perfect opportunity, presents itself.

NFL Comparison: Darnay Holmes

Teams With Need At Position: Philadelphia Eagles, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders

Projection: Rounds 2-3

Bottom Line on Garrett Williams

Garrett Williams’ strengths outweigh his weaknesses. He shows off his physicality on run plays and has sound biomechanics including his footwork. What also will appeal to teams is that he went over the past two seasons a total of 17 games without committing a penalty.

If a receiver makes a catch, Williams does not just hit them hoping to knock them to the ground, he wraps up and takes the receiver to the ground, a technique that would be welcome by many NFL teams. Williams also has good recovery speed should he momentarily get separated from a receiver on the route, to get back, wrap up the receiver, and take them to the ground.

The improvements that Williams has to make are minimal at best. He does have difficulty maintaining speed to keep up with the receiver, especially on longer routes. He also struggles knocking away or intercepting contested passes, which wind up as completions. Williams needs to work on breaking down, maintaining his balance, and getting in a position to wrap up a runner in the open field, especially on running plays. He needs to be more conscientious of playing the receiver in the NFL, and not the ball as he did with the Orange.

Williams also needs to attempt to jump a route when the opportunity presents itself, especially if a ball hangs in the air for a while, which is something he did not do at Syracuse. Scouts are really high on Williams’ raw athletic talent and potential, so much so, that despite a small sample size (28 college football games), Williams will still be a relatively high pick in rounds two or three.