2021 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Rodarius Williams





  • Rodarius Williams, 6-0/195

  • Cornerback

  • Oklahoma State


  • Rodarius Williams Scouting Report
    By Charlie Campbell

    Strengths:
  • Smooth cover corner
  • Fast a big corner
  • Fluid athlete
  • Loose hips, can flip and run
  • Agile
  • Can run the route and prevent separation
  • Smooth in and out of breaks
  • Tough, physical defender
  • Solid tackler
  • Instinctive
  • Long frame
  • Defends 50-50 passes well
  • Can play off-man or press-man coverage
  • Solid zone corner
  • Upside




  • Weaknesses:
  • Inconsistent
  • Grabbed and held too much in 2017-2019
  • Had issues in transition
  • Doesn’t have exceptional ball skills
  • Late to track the ball
  • Needs to become more consistent


  • Summary: “Rodarius could be the Joe Burrow of corners,” says one area scout. “He’s not going first overall or anything like that, but entering the season, we had him as a late-round pick or undrafted free agent. But after his senior year, he’s going in the early rounds this year.” The younger brother of Greedy Williams, Rodarius Williams was a 4-year starter who put it all together as a senior after some rough years to start out his collegiate career for the Cowboys.

    Williams notched 44 tackles, 10 passes broken up, but zero interceptions as a freshman in 2017. In 2018 (49-8-2) and 2019 (58-6-0), teams successfully threw at Williams, but as a senior, he was superb in shutting down wideouts while totaling 18 tackles and seven passes batted away. Williams then had an underwhelming week at the Senior Bowl, with some signs suggesting a reversion to his 2019 form.



    Williams is a tale of two tapes. In the rough years, Williams grabbed and held too much. He had issues transitioning to let receivers create separation, and was late to track the ball. Williams also did not show good ball skills.

    In 2020, Williams was much better in transition, showing the agility and athleticism to run the route and prevent separation. He used his height and length to smother wideouts, leading quarterbacks to struggle to get the ball around him. Williams also showed the speed to run downfield and a burst out of the break. He simply looked like a different athlete as a senior compared to the previous three years.

    Considering the big difference in tape, Williams is a tough evaluation. His senior-year tape to go along with a cornerback who has size and speed is a combination that says first-round potential. His prior years and his Senior Bowl performance, however, suggest lower. As a result, some teams have him graded on Day 2, with some putting him in the second round and others in the third round. Williams looks likely to go in the second round in the 2021 NFL Draft given the demand for cover corners around the NFL.



    Player Comparison: A.J. Bouye. Team sources suggested Bouye as a player who Williams was similar to, and Bouye makes a ton of sense. Bouye had some decent seasons with Texans and Jaguars, showing size and coverage ability. When Bouye had problems, he grabbed too much, and that is a similar issue for Williams. In the NFL, Williams could be a cornerback comparable to Bouye.






    RELATED LINKS:


    2021 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s


    2021 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings


    2021 NFL Draft Rodarius Williamss








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