After addressing the wide receiver room on day two of the 2026 NFL Draft, general manager Adam Peters explains how Clemson star Antonio Williams fits the Washington Commanders offense
After debate whether the position would be addressed with the first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Washington Commanders added the next reinforcement to the wide receiver room after the lone pick of the third round in former Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams.
General manager Adam Peters revealed that the Commanders got another look at the 5-foot-11.5 shifty receiver on a top-30 while adding team college scout Dustin Reagan did extensive homework. Yet Peters also pointed to Williams' first game of his junior season when he finished with 76 receiving yards on six catches in a 34-3 season opening loss to Georgia as a key selling point.
"You see NFL guys win on Sundays. You mentioned his route running, what stood out to you on tape about that, just the speed and the detail and the precision and the quickness in and out of breaks. He doesn't look like a college guy out there," Peters said.
Injuries forced him to redshirt in 2023, though he was a mainstay in Clemson's passing attack throughout as Williams notched at least 50 catches in each of the three seasons he played ten games or more. Williams proved to be one of the most explosive athletes in the ACC during the 2024 season after amassing six catches for 30 yards or longer, while becoming one of the most efficient in 2025 after posting just one drop.
The dynamic Clemson receiver proved himself as a weapon inside and out as Peters noted Williams will work as both a slot and 'Z' receiver while Peters noted, "you can see him really helping us out on third down."
"The things that he can show you, can play outside, he's not huge, but he's not small. He's just a hair under six feet, and he's a really tough player. And he's got really good releases, he plays really fast. So those things allow him to win on the outside versus bigger corners," Peters added.
While the lone day two selection adds to the top of the a unit that needed reinforcements this offseason, Peters shot down that it served as an indication for where either Jaylin Lane or Luke McCaffrey stood on the depth chart.
"It's just great competition," Peters added.
The draft selection also doesn't limit the Commanders from turning back to free agency once the final pick is made on Saturday.
"We're always adding, all the way until the last game," Peters noted.