Can you teach hands?
Here's the full scouting report. 8 drops out of 60 receptions in 2024 season.
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HEIGHT: 6'5
WEIGHT: 225
POSITIVES
— Outstanding height, weight, and speed athlete at the wide receiver position.
— Explosive burst as a run-after-catch threat.
— Good play strength and physicality as a route runner.
— Developmental upside with high-end physical traits.
NEGATIVES
— Lacks natural hands, double clutches catches. Charged with eight drops in 2024.
— Gadget usage limited wide receiver development; unrefined route runner.
— Body-catcher who prefers to trap the football to his frame rather than pluck it with his hands.
NOTES
— 4-star recruit in 2020 class, per 247Sports
— 2024: Honorable-Mention All-Big 12
— 2023: Honorable-Mention All-Big 12
OVERALL
Savion Williams is the perfect boom-or-bust wide receiver for teams to buy into.
Williams is an explosive height, weight, and speed prospect at the receiver position. He is an excellent athlete who made Bruce Feldman's "Freak List." He has the speed and explosiveness to be a reliable and consistent big-play generator.
Williams is a great run-after-catch threat in the open field. That great explosiveness and long speed make him a threat to take it the distance at any given moment. Williams' agility is impressive for a player of his stature—he can weave in and out of traffic for YAC. He makes defenders miss in space and deploys a quick spin move in tight quarters. TCU converted him into a "wide back" offensive weapon like San Francisco 49ers Deebo Samuel. Williams is a playmaker in space with manufactured/gadget touches.
His route running is physical, with good suddenness and snap at the top of the route. Williams uses his hands well to fight through contact from the defender. He is a menace on in-breaking routes—slants, digs, etc. Due to his strength and size, it is difficult to stop him from crossing face to win inside leverage. Williams has good foot quickness to shake and bake defenders in one-on-one coverage.
With the ball in flight, Williams attacks it at its highest point. He is a strong leaper and uses his entire frame and wingspan to win the ball at the catch point. He has good body control when elevating over defenders to battle for the football. Williams plays like a power forward on the hardwood and boxes smaller defenders out for position to the football.
The bust aspect of Williams's profile starts with drops. Talent is there, but he does not have natural hands. Even on impressive high-point passes, he double-catches the ball and prefers to trap it to his frame. Williams' gadget usage this season limited his development at wide receiver. Yes, he showcased valuable alignment versatility, but the fundamentals of playing wide receiver were not nurtured. This leads to questions regarding his actual position heading into the draft.
Overall, Savion Williams projects as WR3/4 with developmental tools and positional versatility. The combination of strength, speed, and agility with the ball in his hands can be dangerous. There's plenty of upside at the wide receiver position, but the landing spot will be paramount for him to reach his ceiling.