Scouting Report: K.J. Williams

Submitted by Magnus on

This week's scouting report is on Bethlehem (PA) Liberty wide receiver K.J. Williams, who has a Michigan offer and almost committed on his visit to Ann Arbor a couple weeks ago.  With the recent commitment of Drake Harris, I would assume that Michigan will try to take two more receivers.  Some possibilities include Williams, Fort Lauderdale (FL) St. Thomas Aquinas's Corey Holmes, Scottsdale (AZ) Desert Mountain's Mark Andrews, and Tarpon Springs (FL) East Lake's Artavis Scott.

http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/2013/04/scouting-report-kj-williams…

Magnus

April 17th, 2013 at 9:25 AM ^

I think my list (if we were to get the top two guys, Scott and Holmes) would give us a wide array of talents.  Harris could be the tall, leaping deep threat; Scott could be the catch-and-run guy and occasionally get a shot deep; and Holmes could be the possession guy with a little bit of deep speed like Roundtree.  Andrews is a little bit like Funchess except he wants to play WR, not TE; and Johnson is going to be a possession guy, in my opinion.

Noahdb

April 17th, 2013 at 9:40 AM ^

Is it possible that he gets moved to defense (provided he commits)? What you are describing sounds almost like a free safety or even a guy who could grow into an outside linebacker.

Magnus

April 17th, 2013 at 10:05 AM ^

7-on-7s aren't real football, and I don't put a lot of stock in them.  So no, this doesn't include that type of thing.  For example, one issue is that he doesn't run with as much strength as someone his size should, but there's no way to improve that during 7-on-7's.

gwkrlghl

April 17th, 2013 at 10:03 AM ^

Wasn't this the guy who loved Michigan and really wanted to come here? Seems like things have really slowed down with him. Any idea why that is?

MGoStrength

April 17th, 2013 at 10:26 AM ^

With other guys still available on the board like Scott and our numbers so tight, is a Williams committment a good thing?  It seems like we still need a speedy deep threat guy and based on your report Williams doesn't sound like that guy.   And, it doesn't seem like we got a guy with real top end speed in the past few classes.  And, what do you think about McCaffrey?  If Williams signs are we done with WRs?

Magnus

April 17th, 2013 at 11:15 AM ^

I think Michigan will take three, so a Williams commitment wouldn't necessarily end WR recruiting.  I think Harris and/or Chesson could be those speed guys, and I think Jones has some ability there, too.

I think McCaffrey is a Drew Dileo-type player, perhaps with a little more speed, though.

WolvinLA2

April 17th, 2013 at 11:28 AM ^

Yes, it's a good thing.  He might not be as elite as some of the guys we're after, but he's still a high level prospect.  We already have one elite WR in this class, and although it would be nice to have 2-3 Drake Harrises, you don't turn away the 4-star guy when he wants in.  Not to mention that the coaches wouldn't have offered him this early if they didn't want him to commit.

We have speedy deep threat guys.  DaMario Jones is that, so is Chesson, both of whom will be frosh this fall, and Jones might RS.  You don't have to have Denard speed to be a deep threat, and guys like Darboh and Harris have plenty of speed for that.  

People put too much emphasis on someone being a deep threat.  We'll throw the ball 20-25 times a game, and maybe 5 of those will be deep balls.

MGoStrength

April 17th, 2013 at 2:21 PM ^

You're probably right there...if the coaches offer this early they either A) want him now regardless, B) plan on taking more than 2 WRs in this class, and/or C) they don't like our chances with the higher rated guys.  To clarify, it's not that I don't think we have a speed threat like Chesson or Jones.  It's that we don't have a highly rated speed threat.  Maybe I'm wrong but Chesson and Jones are very much unproven quantities, and although a high school kid is also unproven his recruting profile suggests he's more likely to be capable than someone with a lower profile, that's all.  If Chesson has a good year call me proven wrong.  But, I'd feel more comfortalbe if we got a speed guy that was also highly ranked, but maybe that's unrealistic.

WolvinLA2

April 17th, 2013 at 2:40 PM ^

I don't know if it's unrealistic at all, just that it might not be necessary. Drake Harris is very highly rated and is very fast. KJ Williams is a bulkier WR, which might be a good complement. A lot of times, "deep threat" is used synonymously with "speed," but that's not always the case. Just as important as speed for a deep threat is size, because it's easier to hit a big target downfield than a small guy. We had two deep completions in the spring game, one each to Darboh and Funchess, whereas the deepish stuff to Gallon went over his head.

All that said, let's not sleep on Jones. He was getting big time interest and offers at the tail end of his recruitment. He was visited by Florida State, Georgia and Alabama, the first two of which offered. Elite teams aren't visiting committed prospects a thousand miles away unless they really want them. If they just wanted a "meh" 3-star receiver, there were plenty of them in the south that would have flipped to any of those schools in a heart beat. He might end up being better than any of us expect.

MGoStrength

April 17th, 2013 at 5:12 PM ^

I did really like Jones' film.  He looked very athletic, pretty fast, and he seemed like he had good ball skills.  But, I haven't seen him compete in college yet.  Jake Ryan was a lower rated guy and he proved to be our best defender IMO.  I'd take a team full of guys like that any day.  But, at the same time I still took a "prove it to me first" attitude regarding a 3-star guy where as I assume a top 10 position player will be good until he proves he can't play.  Maybe that's a dysfunctional way to look at guys but I can't help it.  I know rankings are overrated, but I'm not a coach, so what else can I go by until I see suit up and compete on TV?  Thanks for the perspective.

bubblelevel

April 17th, 2013 at 10:29 AM ^

" Williams is a good high school athlete but lacking refinement in some areas """"""""...

 

that is some real meat there

 

Michigan Eaglet

April 17th, 2013 at 11:00 AM ^

would he compare to all of the incoming WRs in this class. I know he is ranked higher than any of them, but are there any of them that you think is better than Dukes, Jones, or York?

Magnus

April 17th, 2013 at 11:19 AM ^

I like Jones pretty well, actually.  I think I would take most of the guys on this here 2014 list over several of the guys we got in 2013.  Dukes and York don't do a whole lot for me, although I think they can play a role.  Last year was supposedly a down year for receivers, and I don't think there were a lot of quality ones across the country.

EGD

April 17th, 2013 at 11:04 AM ^

Wow, another day without girlie pics on TTB.  If this continues, I may eventually be willing to check the site at my office.

WolvinLA2

April 17th, 2013 at 11:14 AM ^

Funny, that actually the reason I stopped checking it.  Scouting report?  Meh.  Hot random chick taking a pic of herself in the mirror wearing almost nothing?  Now you've got my attention.  

Magnus

April 17th, 2013 at 11:20 AM ^

Yeah, I've stopped with that for the foreseeable future.  Too many people having the site blocked, not visiting at work, etc.  We'll see how it goes.  It was sort of a 50/50 proposition, but we'll see how things go with just the football stuff again.

Elmer

April 17th, 2013 at 12:36 PM ^

Wise move.  There are thousands of sites a person can access for biniki clad models.  For free Michigan football sites that have useful information...the list is short.  I only check MGoBlog and TTB.

A few times my wife or child would walk up behind me and wonder what in the heck I was reading.

Ron Utah

April 17th, 2013 at 11:18 AM ^

The biggest issue I see is getting in and out of his breaks.  He doesn't chop his steps well or show good acceleration out of his cuts.  I actually think he demonstrated a good feel for routes, he just doesn't seem to have the quickness and technique to get into and out of his breaks that quickly.

He fits the Borges mold of big, fast enough, and very good ball skills.  I have serious concerns about his route-running though--if he can't create separation on those breaks he won't catch many passes.

Gobgoblue

April 17th, 2013 at 11:21 AM ^

I'm all for big bodies with speed at WR and our "TE heaven," but a slot plus those seems like a deadly passing game in addition to our MANBALL.  

/Patriots

/plus HOKEMANBALL