In a surprising turn of events, the Green Bay Packers have made three picks to start the 2025 draft and two have been wide receivers. The latest is TCU wideout Savion Williams, selected with the 87th overall pick in the third round.
Another pick, another shiny new toy for Matt LaFleur. Williams brings a rare blend of size, speed, and explosiveness. While he didn’t post eye-popping numbers at TCU, he showcased a versatile skill set, contributing as both a receiver and a ball carrier. Last season, he racked up 611 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 60 catches while adding 322 rushing yards and six scores on 51 carries.
Williams is a classic boom-or-bust prospect—electric on tape, but inconsistent from snap to snap. He’ll need refinement as a route-runner and more reliable hands, but his upside is intriguing. Unlocking that potential may come down to creative playcalling, something LaFleur is known for.
That being said, here’s what prominent draft analysts had to say about Williams during the pre-draft process:
Dane Brugler, The Athletic (draft guide)
A three-year starter at TCU, Williams transitioned to a hybrid receiver role (“Frog” package) as a super senior in offensive coordinator Kendal Briles’ up-tempo, spread attack. He split his 2024 snaps between wide receiver (exclusively to the left of the formation) and the backfield (84 snaps), as either a running back or wildcat quarterback. With just 23 targets of more than 10 yards (resulting in nine catches), he was basically an extension of the run game on screens and slants. He also averaged eight carries per game over the final six contests of 2024. A big, physically imposing athlete, Williams has some freaky traits that will tease playmaking flashes (very fitting that he grew up idolizing Calvin Johnson). He can play above the rim and has a knack for pulling in contested catches, but he needs to show better confidence in his hands and improve the details of his routes. Overall, TCU leaned into Williams’ unique athletic profile in 2024, and the manufactured touches showcased his ability to create with the ball. However, the move came out of necessity, because of Williams’ inconsistencies as a traditional receiver. He projects as more of a “joker” weapon and needs a creative play caller who can utilize him in different ways (similar to Cordarrelle Patterson).
Lance Zierlein, NFL.com
Developmental wideout who offers an alluring blend of physical gifts and untapped potential. Williams is big, strong and fast but very raw as a route-runner and is unreliable with his hands. His production is uneven as a traditional wideout, but he adds a dynamic kick to the offense as a gadget runner and as a catch-and-run option underneath. He excels on power sweeps and is willful enough for consideration on short-yardage and goal-line carries on direct snaps. The ball skills can be hit-or-miss. but there are flashes to work with on tape. The difference between “siren song” or “pot of gold” could rest in Williams’ technical development and the creativity of his play-caller.
The Draft Network
Savion Williams enters the 2025 NFL Draft as a senior prospect who, since his freshman year, has steadily carved out a larger role within the TCU offense. Williams’ best season came in 2024, during which he posted career highs in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. He began to make a name for himself due to the unique ways TCU utilized him throughout the year. At TCU, Williams lined up in a traditional receiver position, in the slot, as a wildcat quarterback, and even as a running back—transforming his role from just a receiver to an all-purpose offensive weapon.
Williams can execute this versatility because at 6-foot-4 and 225 pounds he possesses a rare combination of size, explosiveness, and short-area quickness, making him a challenge for defenses to contain. When evaluating Williams, the first step is simply locating him, as he can align anywhere in the offensive formation and remains a constant threat to touch the football.
When aligned in a traditional receiver position, Williams demonstrates a diverse release package, allowing him to control the pace and tempo of his release based on whether he’s facing press or off coverage. Williams is an explosive route-runner with excellent start-stop ability, enabling him to accelerate and decelerate with suddenness. On short and intermediate routes, his physical profile allows him to create separation at the top of his routes. On vertical routes (20-plus yards downfield), Williams can start to pull away from defenders, making him a valuable deep threat for offenses seeking explosive plays.
Arguably the most impressive aspect of Williams’ game is what he does with the ball in his hands. Whether catching the football from traditional alignments, taking direct snaps out of the wildcat, or running screens and end-arounds, Williams exudes a playmaking “X-factor.” With the ball in his hands, he showcases excellent lateral agility, explosiveness, the ability to power through arm tackles, and the speed to pull away from defenders in the open field. At his size the ability to move like this is rare and reinforces the idea that Williams can be more than just a receiver—he’s a positionless offensive weapon.
Offenses should prioritize getting the ball into Williams’ hands and letting him create. His path to success in the NFL could follow traditional receiver routes or a more dynamic role similar to what Deebo Samuel provides for the 49ers.
The primary concerns with Williams as a prospect lie in two specific areas. First, his limited reps and experience show in his route-running, where he sometimes lacks precision, and in occasional concentration drops. While Williams is an elite athlete for the receiver position, the technical details of playing the role—such as nuanced route-running and consistency—still require development.
Overall, Williams is a top-tier athlete at the receiver position, and his combination of size and athleticism places him in the rare category of players with the potential to dominate in the NFL. However, without refining the finer points of his game, he risks being categorized as more of an all-purpose player rather than a traditional receiver. With proper development, Williams has the tools to become one of the league’s best receivers.
PFF draft guide
It took a while for Savion Williams, a four-star recruit, to become the staple of TCU’s offense, but it was worth the wait. His verified height is a shade under 6-foot-4, but he is all of 225-228 pounds, and that shows up on tape. He started his career at TCU as a kick returner before primarily playing wide receiver, and his high school quarterback days give him plenty of versatility out of the backfield as a running back or Wildcat quarterback. Williams is a anywhere else. Alongside that, each player also has career information, in-depth scouting profiles, player comps, athletic monster at the catch point, possessing very strong hands with testing, strengths/weaknesses and much more. high catch rates through contact, but he did have some frustrating drops in 2024. He has some wiggle and nuance as a route runner but could be more polished there. He needs to win with his feet more in the NFL, especially on his releases against press. He has some false steps and could attack leverage better. But he also had plenty of snaps in college where he got off the line cleanly due to his explosiveness. He is also a reliable blocker.
Bleacher Report Scouting Department
Savion Williams is the perfect boom-or-bust wide receiver for teams to buy into.
Williams is an explosive height, weight, and speed prospect at the receiver position. He is an excellent athlete who made Bruce Feldman’s “Freak List.” He has the speed and explosiveness to be a reliable and consistent big-play generator.
Williams is a great run-after-catch threat in the open field. That great explosiveness and long speed make him a threat to take it the distance at any given moment. Williams’ agility is impressive for a player of his stature—he can weave in and out of traffic for YAC. He makes defenders miss in space and deploys a quick spin move in tight quarters. TCU converted him into a “wide back” offensive weapon like San Francisco 49ers Deebo Samuel. Williams is a playmaker in space with manufactured/gadget touches.
His route running is physical, with good suddenness and snap at the top of the route. Williams uses his hands well to fight through contact from the defender. He is a menace on in-breaking routes—slants, digs, etc. Due to his strength and size, it is difficult to stop him from crossing face to win inside leverage. Williams has good foot quickness to shake and bake defenders in one-on-one coverage.
With the ball in flight, Williams attacks it at its highest point. He is a strong leaper and uses his entire frame and wingspan to win the ball at the catch point. He has good body control when elevating over defenders to battle for the football. Williams plays like a power forward on the hardwood and boxes smaller defenders out for position to the football.
The bust aspect of Williams’s profile starts with drops. Talent is there, but he does not have natural hands. Even on impressive high-point passes, he double-catches the ball and prefers to trap it to his frame. Williams’ gadget usage this season limited his development at wide receiver. Yes, he showcased valuable alignment versatility, but the fundamentals of playing wide receiver were not nurtured. This leads to questions regarding his actual position heading into the draft.
Overall, Savion Williams projects as WR3/4 with developmental tools and positional versatility. The combination of strength, speed, and agility with the ball in his hands can be dangerous. There’s plenty of upside at the wide receiver position, but the landing spot will be paramount for him to reach his ceiling.
Kyle Crabbs, 33rd Team
TCU Horned Frogs wide receiver Savion Williams is a diverse weapon who boasts impressive physical abilities and a promising bundle of potential for his NFL franchise. Williams was unleashed as a diverse weapon for TCU this season. His powerful frame and explosive open-field speed created matchup challenges for defenses and offered the Horned Frogs the ability to be ambiguous with their personnel packaging.
That same role could be available to Williams in the NFL, but his implementation will be play-caller and scheme-specific. These super-diverse players are not one-size-fits-all, and some of the other elements of traditional wide receiver play will be works in progress for Williams at the NFL level. As such, he is a talent that will need development to stay on the field or else be relegated to a sub-package type player.
