The 2024 NFL Draft is getting close, making it an excellent time to highlight some of the class' best players with scouting reports. Each report will include strengths, weaknesses and background information.
Here's our report on Evan Williams.
Evan Williams' 2024 NFL Combine RESULTS
- Height: 5-foot-11
- Weight: 200 pounds
- 40-yard dash: 4.60
- 10-yard split: 1.55
- Vertical jump: 40.5"
- Broad jump: 10'6"
Evan Williams 2024 NFL DRAFT SCOUTING REPORT
STRENGTHS
- Smooth pedal with good knee bend as back-end safety, allowing for a comfortable transition to plant and drive.
- Showed smooth transition and change of direction needed to play on the back end. Loose hips and easy movement.
- Snaps of plus play speed and pursuit range from the back end to make tackles in the run game. Aggressive mentality.
- What consistently stood out was run defense. Aggressive and physical embracing the physical part of the game.
- Made a lot of plays with a quick trigger from the back end and excellent play speed pursuit. Triggered with urgency.
- Flashed some strong downhill burst and contact strength-power as a blitzer running through running backs.
- Played faster on tape than his timed speed. Strong key and diagnose with a quick trigger in run game.
- Outstanding playing personality with an aggressive mentality. Highly competitive, bringing physical component.
WEAKNESSES
- More of a measured and methodical mover. Not a sudden, twitchy athlete. No special athletic or physical traits.
- Lacks desired NFL size, speed and strength. Does not possess the athletic and physical traits you want.
- Some missed tackles as a downhill-alley defender. Could not recover when the angle was not precise.
- Functional speed to match and run with vertical routes will be carefully scrutinized as will snaps at post-safety.
- Did not see a lot of man coverage snaps vs. TEs or running backs. Can Williams do that?
NFL TRANSITION
Williams is one of those safeties whose tape is much better than his athletic and physical traits. Therefore, he will likely be evaluated and projected differently by different evaluators and coaches. Williams lacks ideal size, speed and overall athleticism, but his tape showed that he played with excellent awareness and competitive temperament.
His play speed and pursuit range were better than his athletic testing measurables would suggest. Williams has excellent key-and-diagnose skills from the back end, showing a quick trigger to make plays in the run game. He made a lot of plays with plus play speed and pursuit range, more often than not taking good angles to the ball.
Williams lacks the size and strength you’d want in a downhill and box safety, and there will be questions regarding his ability to play with his aggressive, physical attacking mindset at the next level. However, NFL coaches will love his approach and his high-intensity playing personality, given his experience playing on the back end, in the box, over the slot and as a blitzer.
OTHER NOTES
Williams played his final college season at Oregon after four seasons at Fresno State, and he led Oregon in tackles, earning Second-Team All-Pac 12 honors. Williams started all five seasons he played in college.
Williams was predominantly the boundary safety in Oregon’s two-shell coverage looks, but there were also significant snaps in the box to the boundary and at post-safety.
There were sub-defense snaps, especially on third down, in which Williams was the nickel playing inside. He also played snaps, depending on the offensive formation, in which he matched man-to-man on the TE. Williams at times was deployed as a blitzer off the edge
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