Jayden Williams NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Arizona Cardinals OT

The Arizona Cardinals selected Ole Miss OT Jayden Williams with the No. 217 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Jayden Williams is a high-cut, wiry tackle with good initial quickness and a jolting punch, generating force on contact with a sturdy anchor and movement skills on cutoffs and pulls. However, his upright, robotic style and wandering eyes lead to late reactions, quick losses and limited recovery, with lapses in timing exposing him to movement. Williams projects as a capable backup who needs to land first and latch, with limited ability to recover once the rep extends.

Williams is a 6'4", 307-pound offensive tackle prospect who entered the Ole Miss program as a 4-star recruit in the 2021 class.

The former Rebel started 34 career games split between each tackle spot (19 at LT & 15 at RT), including 15 at right tackle last season. Williams was a full-time starter as a redshirt freshman in 2022 before finishing 2023 as a role player and missed seven games in 2024 due to knee injuries.

Brandon Thorn: Brandon is the author of the Trench Warfare newsletter, which focuses exclusively on offensive and defensive line evaluation. He also contributes as an analyst to Establish the Run, serves as the scouting coordinator for OL Masterminds and is a selection committee member for the Joe Moore Award. 

Highlights

Jayden Williams Highlights

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Where He Wins

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- Wiry play strength with a stiff punch and strong clench once latched.

- Good initial quicks seen on backside cut-offs and leading around the edge on pulls.

- Sturdy anchor to match power with power and dissipate the bull-rush.

- Capable of widening defenders off his edges, redirecting and dying slowly in recovery mode when his initial punch lands.

Areas of Improvement

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- High-cut build with an upright playing style.

- Robotic blocker with below average redirect and recovery skills.

- Has lapses in snap timing and focus that result in an occasional mental error or being tardy to react to immediate post-snap movement.

Grade, Rank and Pro Comparison

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GRADE: 5.8 (Backup/Draftable - 6th Round)

COMPARABLE GRADE: Esa Pole (5.7 in 2025), Earl Bostick Jr. (5.7 in 2023), Ja'Tyre Carter (5.8 in 2022)

OVERALL RANK: 265

POSITION RANK: OT20

PRO COMPARISON: Hakeem Adeniji

Measurables and Testing Data

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Height: 6'4"
Weight: 307
Arm: 33½"
Hand: 9½"

40-Yard Dash: 5.0
10-Yard Split: 1.80
Vertical: 29½"
Broad: 8'11"
Shuttle: 4.80
3-Cone: 7.65
Bench: 21