Garrett Williams 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Background: 

• Competed as a sprinter for the track team in high school in addition to playing football 

• Led the ACC in passes defended as a redshirt freshman in 2020
• 2020 Freshman All-American, 2021 All-ACC selection 

System: 

• Scheme tendencies: Blended coverages but plenty of man reps

• 2022 projected role: Starting CB

Pros: Garrett Williams is a physical and aggressive defender that exhibits an alpha mentality in everything he does on the football field. I love the way he triggers downhill, plays through contact, and finishes. He has the type of mindset and skill to be an asset at the next level in run support. There’s a lot to like about his movement skills and reactive athleticism. Williams is a twitched-up athlete with good short-area quickness, speed, and change of direction skills. I like his ability in zone coverage to cue the backfield, trigger, and maintain his eye discipline. While the takeaways have yet to show up with consistency, Williams is disruptive at the catch point and showcases the ability to play through the receiver’s hands to force incompletions. I wish he got more opportunities to play press coverage because he profiles as a standout. 

Cons: It’s easy to love his physical and aggressive temperament, but there are some instances of it leading to him losing control and not arriving at the ball carrier with good enough control to finish. While Garrett Williams has proven to be disruptive at the catch point, I want to see more takeaways. He is best when driving forward on the football and his ability to locate the football down the field is hit or miss. Williams is a more than sufficient athlete but he doesn’t feature elite long speed to stay connected with every receiver down the field.

Garrett Williams NFL Draft Scouting Report by Joe Marino