If the Vikings don't spend a first-round pick on a wide receiver, would Clemson receiver Antonio Williams be a possible fit?
The Minnesota Vikings will be in the market for a wide receiver during the 2026 NFL Draft. Justin Jefferson leads the charge but there are serious question marks behind him. Despite this, it may not be the biggest positional need in early rounds, for instance, they might see wide receiver or running back as a bigger need. This could force them to take a sleeper receiver in a later round to instantly make an impact. Luckily for them, a perfect prospect waits for this scenario in Clemson’s Antonio Williams.
Wide receiver is an underrated need for the Vikings. Jordan Addison is fabulous when healthy, but has continuously dealt with legal issues, most recently a misdemeanor trespassing charge this past week in Florida. On its own, that’s a cause for concern in the receiver group, however, the questions around the room grow exponentially with the fact that Jalen Nailor, their wide receiver three, is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. With these two issues, it springs receiver to one of the Vikings biggest needs.
Antonio Williams is a quarterback's best friend. He would be an invaluable partner next to JJ McCarthy, someone who needs all the help he can get. Williams isn’t the most explosive straight-line athlete, but makes up for it with his high IQ and ability to use tempo while running routes.
Williams understands coverages and knows how to exploit them. He consistently finds open space against zone and is a constant option for the quarterback. Additionally, he expertly stems defenders to gain the leverage advantage and create instant separation.
What makes Williams an outstanding route runner is his nuanced ability to use tempo. He keeps defenders off-balanced by changing speeds, which helps create instant separation. He’s a rapid accelerator and has underrated short-area quickness. These combined makes it challenging for any defender, regardless of their caliber, to stay with him.
Williams thrives in the above mentioned skills, plus many more, but there’s a reason he’s not a first round player. His most obvious problem is his lack of elite speed, but that’s not a huge need for current NFL wide receivers. Instead, the more pressing issue is his lack of play strength and nagging injury history. Williams isn’t an amazing blocker and heavily struggles if a defender is able to reach him in press coverage, which stems from his sub-par play strength. In addition, he’s struggled to stay healthy in his career as he missed serious time in 2023 with an unspecified lower-body injury and suffered a hamstring problem in 2025. These problems are what will push him towards mid-late day two.
Overall, Williams is an enticing and talented, but flawed prospect that the Vikings would be able to grab on day two. He would be an outstanding fit in Minnesota and would be a valuable weapon to JJ McCarthy as he tries to develop into a franchise quarterback.