Brandon Williams NFL Draft 2016: Scouting Report, Grade for Cardinals Rookie

POSITIVES

Originally recruited as a running back, Brandon Williams signed with the Oklahoma Sooners and saw the field as a true freshman before suffering a neck injury that cost him his season. Williams transferred to A&M, sat out a season and then re-emerged as a running back for two seasons before switching to cornerback for his final year.

A top-tier athlete, Williams may be viewed as a cornerback or free safety prospect by NFL teams. He has first-class speed and exceptional play strength for a defender, and teams may bite on his positional upside as a new player to the position.

Williams has exceptional cornerback traits even though he's not yet fully figured out the fundamentals. He's straight-line fast, strong enough to make tackles in space, a natural athlete with flexible hips and understands angles and timing. As he learns how to break down routes and read the offense, Williams could be special.

NEGATIVES

Just a one-year player at cornerback, Williams is little more than an athlete lining up across from receivers at this point. Playing in the big-boy SEC, Williams struggled to connect the dots while learning the job on the fly.

As you would expect, Williams is slow to read and react at corner. Playing in zone coverage, he has the athleticism to drive on the ball, but he's not processing the play quickly enough to get there in time to limit a reception. In man coverage, he's fine running vertically in-phase with a receiver, but breaking routes were very successful because Williams isn't comfortable reading the body and feet of the route-runner.

Williams has the tools, but the transition will be a risk. Late in the draft he's a solid enough athlete to take a flier on and plan on plugging in on special teams while he learns the ropes.

COMBINE RESULTS

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 197 lbs.

40 Time: 4.37s

3-Cone: 6.85s

Short Shuttle: 4.19s

PRO COMPARISON: Craig Mager, San Diego Chargers
FINAL GRADE: 5.60/9.00 (Round 5—Backup Caliber)