The Bills, despite their bottom-heavy receiver depth chart, hadn’t shown very much interest in rookie receivers, at least within the view of the public. That changed with a report that Grambling State receiver Chad Williams will be visiting the team today, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Williams is the first receiver to be individually connected with the Bills from this draft class (we’re not taking mock drafts into consideration, so the Mike Williams fans will have to sit down and wait for an actual report to hit the wire). The only other pass catcher to be privately connected to the team is Alabama State tight end Brandon Barnes, who has set up a private workout with the Bills.
The six-foot-one, 207 pound Williams had 89 receptions for 1334 yards and 11 touchdowns in his senior season, holding the receiving triple crown for his conference. After a great performance at the East-West Shrine Game, he was a late addition to the Senior Bowl, where he was one of the most consistent receivers during the week of practices (and where he showed his reputation as a fiesty competitor not afraid to get into scraps with defenders). Williams wasn’t invited to the NFL Combine, but at a local pro day he ran a 4.39 forty yard dash and broad jumped 10’3”.
On the field, Williams is an excellent sideline target with acute awareness for where to place his feet on catches near the boundary. He’s physical and has good body control for high-pointing catches in the red zone.
A year ago, Williams was arrested in his hometown for charges of possession of marijuana and possession of firearms with drugs, along with an outstanding bench warrant. Due in part to that arrest, Williams was left out of the Combine, and it’s something that will drop him to a day three selection if he’s drafted.