Jason Wood's Thoughts

Reggie Williams was one of the record seven wide receivers drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft. Williams, a tall (6'3"), physical (233 pounds) receiver who merely lacked the straight line speed (4.6 40-time) to command as much attention as Roy Williams and Larry Fitzgerald. Williams dominated the Pac-10, finishing as Washington's all time leader in receptions and yards while finishing his career as the 2nd leading receiver in Pac-10 history. His draft profile hints at potential greatness, no surprise considering he was the 9th overall selection by the Jacksonville Jaguars:

NFL.com Draft Profile Analysis
Positives: Has that rare sized frame you want in a split end - well-developed upper and lower body, long arms and legs, defined chest, broad shoulders, tight waist, good bubble and thick thighs and calves … Shows no wasted motion getting off the line, generating a sudden burst to get into his patterns immediately when unchallenged … Physical receiver with the strength to power through arm tackles … Very effective on control routes, but has the deep acceleration and sharp cutting ability to excel on quick slants … Keeps his feet inbound working the sidelines and will make quick adjustments to come back for the ball on the quarterback scramble … Despite his size, he can sink his hips when cutting to separate from the defender up field … Uses his size well to screen off defenders and has the leaping ability to catch the pass over the defensive back's head … Shows above average hand/eye coordination, looking very comfortable timing his leaps to get to the ball at its high point … Will not be intimidated going for the pass in a crowd … Has the speed to challenge his opponent deep and exceptional body control to make the difficult acrobatic catch … Very effective adjusting to the ball over his shoulder and is equally adept at getting to the passes thrown behind him … Very difficult to bring down after the catch, as he stays low in his pads and drives with his legs to break tackles … Has that blue-collar work ethic that you love - going after defenders downfield with a vengeance to throw a stunning crack block … Stays after blocks when combating the blitz, showing good hand punch to jolt.

Despite Williams' pedigree, most fantasy pundits may be skeptical of his opportunity to make a fantasy impact this year as rookie WRs typically struggle to adjust to the NFL game. However, remember this is neither your typical rookie receiver class nor is Williams' situation typical. Few teams needed WR help as much as the Jaguars. Last season, even after Jimmy Smith returned from a 4-game suspension, the team struggled to get production out of the WR position. The team tried Kevin Johnson, Matthew Hatchette and Troy Edwards to no avail. So, even though Williams is a rookie and needs some polishing, the team wants and expects him to win the starting job opposite Smith sooner rather than later.

Will he win the job in camp? Early reports out of training camp suggest the Jaguars offense as a whole needs fine tuning, and Williams faces a steep learning curve despite his obvious talents. However, there's little reason to believe the team will worry about Troy Edwards' feelings; when the time comes (be it now or in Week 4 or in Week 12), Williams will get a starting job.

Positives

• Prototypical size to dominate opposing defensive backs



• The Jaguars, with Byron Leftwich maturing, need a secondary option to compliment Jimmy Smith



• With the Jaguars' running game and a healthy Jimmy Smith, Williams will see single coverage on plenty of occasions

Negatives

• Williams must learn the nuances of the NFL game, and currently sits behind Troy Edwards on the team depth chart



• Regardless of his progression this preseason, Jimmy Smith will be the lead receiving option in 2004



• The team is going to win games primarily by running the ball and playing stifling defense; there will be weeks when the passing game takes a back seat

Final Thoughts

Someday I wouldn't be surprised if Reggie Williams was the best receiver from this heralded draft class. He probably won't be the top option this season, but it's not unreasonable to think he has a good deal of upside if he gets into the starting lineup before the season opener. With a current ADP of 52nd, it won't take much for Williams to surpass consensus expectations. I wouldn't recommend drafting Williams as anything more than your 4th or 5th option but wouldn't be shocked if by the second half of the year he helped some teams during difficult bye/injury related weeks.

Colin Dowling's Thoughts

It's worth mentioning that this year's wide-receiver class was so nasty that a guy like Reggie Williams was an afterthought to two other guys at the same position. What's worse, if Mike Williams had been allowed into the draft and Lee Evans had never gotten injured, Williams might have been a footnote in the first round instead of the number 9 pick overall.

All of that, of course, is ridiculous. Reggie Williams is a big, strong, fast, athletic receiver with good hands and just enough attitude to be a game breaker from day 1. When we talk about not relying on rookie wide receivers in fantasy football, we are very rarely talking about players with the talent of Andre Johnson, Charles Rogers, Roy Williams, Larry Fitzgerald...and Reggie Williams. Aside from producing at monstrous levels in the Pac-10 for 3 straight years, Reggie has found himself in the perfect NFL situation: Young QB with a cannon-arm, aging WR1 with plenty left in the tank, and no clear cut WR2.

Positives

• Great size and history of production against quality competition



• Great pass catching ability, away from his body and in stride. Also adjusts well to errant throws



• Good speed and ability to get beyond the defense on longer patterns



• Entering a situation without a true 2nd option at WR. 1st option at WR is getting older



• Solid route runner

Negatives

• More fast than quick, burst from the line lacks suddenness to create separation in short routes



• Attitude is sometimes a detriment, can be a "hot head" at times



• Needs to work on blocking, although this is common among WRs and shouldn't be held against him too much at this point

Final Thoughts

Based on talent alone, Reggie Williams should be able to find a spot in the WR2 carousel that the Jags used last year (the team's leading WR, Kevin Johnson, is gone to the Ravens). More to the point, de facto #1 Jimmy Smith, while still talented and worth the defenses attention, is not a strong enough target to keep a player like Williams from finding some opportunity. Fred Taylor will catch a lot of balls, but after Taylor and Smith, who is left for Leftwich to throw to? The difference between Williams being "serviceable" and being a useful fantasy player is going to come down to how much of the WR2 role he can grab, and how soon he can grab it. Seeing the competition, I think he can do it.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

To view the entire Player Spotlight thread (there's a ton of fantastic commentary in there), click here.

tillman's troop:
"As a season ticket holder at The UW I have been able to watch Reggie Williams for a few years now. He has the ability to play the slot and also work on the outside. He can be extremely physical and with the new rules that limit will limit the defensive backs opportunity to hold and impede the receivers intended routes this will only help Reggie create separation.

The two things that help Reggie's upside is that he will receive tutelage by one of the great receivers in the NFL, Jimmy Smith, and will also have a young, talented Quarterback throwing to him in Byron Leftwich."

KKrew:
"Reggie Williams. He's a rookie wide receiver. That immediately puts up a huge red flag for the prognosticator. I look at Jacksonville & I wonder how good Leftwich can be? I'm guessing he's going to be pretty good. Good enough to complete 60% of his 500 passing attempts. That means plenty of receptions to go around. Williams will take his lumps. But, he'll be one of the most productive rookie receivers when all is said and done."

bostonfred:
"Talent: He's very talented, and would have been the top receiver taken in most draft classes. In January, he was considered on par with Fitzgerald and Roy Williams. Only once the herd mentality kicked in did he slip off people's radar screens.

Opportunity: The #2 WR in Jacksonville has not been productive since Keenan McCardell. The "rookie receiver rule" - that rookie rarely do well - has some notable recent exceptions: Andre Johnson, Charles Rogers (pre-injury), Randy Moss, Joey Galloway, Terry Glenn. What do these receivers all have in common? They were all high draft picks moved directly into the starting lineup with little competition for playing time. So is Reggie Williams.

Style: Williams, like McCardell, is a possession receiver who has the ability to sneak into the seam and make plays. He's also younger and faster than McCardell. I don't expect him to do what McCardell has done in the past right away, but I think he could.

Surrounding Talent: Leftwich is a second year QB who was exceptionally accurate, despite his lack of good targets. He's got the ability to adapt to new receivers, as evidenced by his immediate success with Kevin Johnson last year. He hasn't had time to develop a rapport with any receiver except Jimmy Smith, who is still good but getting older. The team will almost certainly make an effort to develop a rapport between Leftwich and Williams for the future by designing plays for Williams."

Shooter McGavin:
"Williams wasn't able to participate in all of Jacksonville's minicamps, due to the graduation rule, and will go into training camp further behind than the team would like. I've heard reports that he hasn't been that impressive in the practices that he was able to attend. I expect that he will begin the season behind Troy Edwards and work his way into the starting lineup around week 6."

jcjets:
"Let's see a rookie WR playing with a second year QB....Hmmmmm

I project him at: 40-509-4 and that's being generous."

Reggie Williams Projections