Garrett Williams may not go as high as he was going to due to a torn ACL that held him out of the second half of the 2022 season. He’s a suitable man coverage cornerback, but his strength will be playing in heavy-zone schemes like Jonathan Gannon ran with the Eagles last year. He should drop in the draft, and someone will get a steal taking him in the mid-rounds. 

The upside with Williams is that he becomes stronger and learns how to be more physical in man coverage. But, the latter will require that he build back his strength. I want to see Williams succeed and stay healthy coming off of his ACL tear and if he does, his upside is absolutely there to be a good starting cornerback in the NFL. 

Oh, not much, just 5'10, 192 Garrett Williams making a play on the ball to 6'3, 220 Joseph Ngata.

Size don't measure the dudes that play big boy ball! pic.twitter.com/Bvq7qTYBUA

— Cole Jackson (@ColeJacksonFB) April 10, 2023

Missed two games in 2021 with an injury. Missed his combine and pro day workouts due to a torn ACL.  

Garrett Williams’ scouting report

Athletic Ability (40)

Speed/Athleticism: 15

• Speed (5/7) – Good speed, though not great. Because of that lack of speed, doesn’t offer much on the boundary in terms of run defense against faster running backs. Speed showed up from time to time on film. 
• Lateral Quickness (3/4) – Decent lateral quickness. Moves well within his zone but prefers to play north-south.
• Acceleration (3/4) – Acceleration looks good. Typically can stay with receivers through most of the route, has issues stretching the field vertically. 

Strength: 15 

• Upper Body Strength (2.5/5) – I’m worried about his upper body strength. Doesn’t have the strength to control tackles or do too much else.  
• Lower Body Strength (3.5/5) – Has some good explosion and acceleration ability. 
• Brute Power (2/5) – Not at all a brute. 

Hip Flexibility: 10 

• Change of Direction (4/5) – Shows good hip flexibility to change directions well. 
• Recovery (3.5/5) – Flashes some recoverability. 

Defender Ability (15)

Tackling: 10 

• Tackling Ability (3.5/6) – Not a great tackler. Flashes some ability but struggles to position and tends to lay out to make stops. 
• Space Defending (2/4) – Not a defender that I would want matched up in a 1v1 in space. 

Pursuit: 5

• Pursuit Angles (3/5) – Pursuit angles leave a lot to be desired. Oftentimes very much underpursues the play. Doesn’t have the speed to chase down running backs. Doesn’t work off of blocks well. 

Coverage Ability (40)

Man Coverage: 15 

• Coverage Ability (7.5/10) – Stays focused on the receiver. Not good at turning to locate the football. Does well typically to use the sideline as a second defender. Played more man coverage in the red zone and looked good. 
• Physicality (3.5/5) – Typically not handsy, prefers to play more of a modified mirror technique. 

Zone Coverage: 15 

• Coverage Ability (8.5/10) – Good in deep zone coverage. Played more shell coverage than anything.  He positions himself very well to make a play on the football if the ball comes his way. Becomes a ball hawk. Understands positioning very well. 
• Recognition (4/5) – Shows solid recognition ability. 

Press Coverage: 10 

• Coverage Ability (5/7) – Solid use of his length and arms to press. 
• Physicality (2/3) – Not the most physical, but uses his hands and length very effectively. 

Overall: (73.5)