Arizona Cardinals: Expectations for Chad Williams in 2017
By Tyler Olson
The Arizona Cardinals finally took a wide receiver in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft, selecting Grambling’s Chad Williams, but what will he do as a rookie?
The rumor was that the Arizona Cardinals would take a wide receiver in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft. That may have been the case, too, had any of the top three fallen to the No. 13 pick. Corey Davis went fifth, Mike Williams seventh and John Ross “fell” all the way at ninth.
Both Davis and Ross were surprise picks to the Tennessee Titans and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively. Many predicted both going in the teens with Davis being a favorite to the Cardinals. Given the situation, however, general manager Steve Keim ultimately decided to take the best player available on his draft board, which happened to be linebacker Haason Reddick.
Keim opted to pass on a wide receiver in the second, trading up to select safety Budda Baker. After losing both Tony Jefferson and D.J. Swearinger to free agency this offseason, safety was a need that had to be addressed.
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It wasn’t until the third round that Keim addressed the wide receiver position, going with Grambling’s Chad Williams. And it was at that same exact moment that many collectively said “who?”
Williams is a 6-1, 204-pound receiver that brings a type of swag you won’t see in his new counterpart and future hall-of-famer Larry Fitszgerald. As a senior at Grambling, Williams had 90 catches for over 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns. That was good enough to make the first-team All-SWAC last year, his second consecutive season earning the distinction.
The biggest question with the Williams pick is what did Keim, or the scouting staff as a whole, see in Williams to take him in the third round. While he was productive at the collegiate level, it was against SWAC competition. He’s also had a history with off-the-field issues and even got into a scrum at the Reese’s Senior Bowl with Miami’s Rayshawn Jenkins. That Senior Bowl week, however, is what ultimately put him on teams’ radars including Arizona’s.
The Cardinals wide receiver room is filled with a lot of down-the-field threats including John Brown, J.J. Nelson and newly converted running back Andre Ellington. Williams will add to that dimension, but the goal is to be an all-around threat like Fitzgerald. That’ll take time, coaching and patience.
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It’s hard not to see Williams on the opening day roster for the main fact that he was taken so high. He’s a project, though, and will need time to develop. While Arizona needs more weapons for Carson Palmer, they aren’t desperate heading into 2017 — especially if Brown and Nelson are healthy. Williams may get a few starts as a rookie, but don’t expect it to be early.