Grading the Packers’ Draft: TCU WR Savion Williams in Third Round

In the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers selected Stanford receiver Ty Montgomery. During those first offseason practices, he was so dominant that, at one point, a few scouts exchanged high-fives as Montgomery made one play after another.

A year later, the 6-foot-, 221-pounder became Green Bay’s primary running back. A couple years later, the Packers gave up and traded him to the Ravens.

In the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday night, the Packers selected TCU receiver Savion Williams. At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, he’s also got the build of a running back. The Horned Frogs used him in the backfield a lot, as he carried the ball 51 times and scored six touchdowns.

So, to say the Packers doubled-up at receiver might be accurate from a roster perspective, but general manager Brian Gutekunst just handed coach Matt LaFleur a big, athletic and elusive toy to add to an offense that struggled to move the ball with consistency when it wasn’t handing the ball to Josh Jacobs.

Williams has been compared to Cordarrelle Patterson, who was drafted as a receiver in the first round by the Vikings in 2013. As he enters his 12th season, he’s a six-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro because of his work as a kick returner, but he’s reinvented himself as a running back.

For the Packers, Williams will play receiver, Gutekunst said, with some schemed-up touches to take advantage of his unique skill-set.

“Obviously, he’s versatile and he can do a lot of things. I do think he can do some of that stuff that those other guys did, as well,” Gutekunst said when asked about Williams, Patterson and Montgomery.

“I think he’s one of those guys, we look at it as a receiver that can do all the things that we ask. I do think it’s going to be interesting how Matt draws some stuff up. When we had Tyler (Ervin in 2020) and dId some of those things, I thought it was pretty unique how Matt was able to see him and find areas where he could help us produce, and I think this will be the same way.”

The big winner will be LaFleur, who was handed an instant-impact playmaker. That he’s unpolished as a receiver might be irrelevant. There will be easy ways to get him the ball and let him go to work.

The other big winner could be Jayden Reed. LaFleur loves getting Reed the ball in ways outside the traditional passing game, whether it’s jet sweeps or screens. Reed has been good in that role but has had trouble withstanding the beating. Perhaps Williams can take some of those touches so Reed can get the ball in more traditional ways, where he’s excellent at accelerating downfield out of the slot.

At 6-foot-4, Williams has the size to win downfield. With 4.47 speed, he’s got athleticism to make things happen. At 222 pounds, he’s a handful for defensive backs to tackle in the open field. With a nifty spin move, he can be trouble in the open field.

The problem with a splashy, fun pick is it did nothing to address the team’s other weaknesses. The Packers have no depth at cornerback. They have no depth at defensive tackle. They’ve done nothing to improve the pass rush other than firing the position coach.

LSU edges Sai’vion Jones and Bradyn Swinson, Florida State defensive tackle Joshua Farmer, Nebraska defensive tackle Ty Robinson and Louisville cornerback Quincy Riley would have helped address one of those positions of need.

Still, I like it. Where was the creativity in LaFleur’s offense last season? For too much of the season, the only thing that worked was handing the ball to Josh Jacobs and letting him fight for 4 or 5 yards.

With Golden’s speed and Williams’ gadget-ness, to make up a word, LaFleur will be able to stretch the field vertically and horizontally. Williams averaged 6.9 yards after the catch per catch and forced 18 missed tackles in the passing game and averaged 4.2 yards after contact and forced 22 missed tackles in just 51 attempts as a runner, according to Pro Football Focus.

Obviously, NFL defenders are much better than Big 12 defenders, but Williams has the potential to add a jolt to an offense that needed it. If he can eliminate the drops and become more of a factor as a true receiver, this pick could be a home run.

Grade: B-plus.