Garrett Williams Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Syracuse Athletics)

School: Syracuse (Sophomore)

Position: CB

HT: 6’0

WT: 190 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #76

Garrett Williams is one of the more underdeveloped prospects in this draft class even though he has been a starter since he got to Syracuse in 2020. As a freshman, he had an impressive season as a boundary cornerback and looked like he could make a serious leap as he matured. 2021 seemed to be a serious regression as QBs were not afraid to target Williams, and when they did, they were quite successful. In 2022, Williams seemed to be back on track before suffering an ACL injury in early October. He also posted his lowest career QB rating when targeted of 84.1. In terms of play, Williams played a mix of soft zone and press-man coverage at Syracuse. He is extremely physical and has “that dog in him” and was even the captain of the Syracuse defense. He is a willing tackler and does well to wrap up the ball carrier. He has great quick-twitch and an eye for the ball which makes him a great run defender at the cornerback position. With his high-level speed, even when receivers do beat him around his outside shoulder on the boundary, he is able to stick within striking distance to make a play on the ball. While his physical and aggressive style of play do a lot of good things for his game, it can get him in trouble at certain points. Getting to handsy or grabby closer to the line of scrimmage is a problem for Williams that often results in receivers beating him to the boundary. I also hold true to the ideology that a cornerback needs to have at least 31 ½ inch arms. The last Pro Bowl corner to have shorter arms than that was Johnathan Joseph in 2012. Williams has 31 ⅛ inch arms. Williams can stick to receivers well on deep routes, but can easily lose track of the ball with his back to the quarterback. Against Purdue in 2022, there were a couple deep balls that weren’t completed on Williams because the receiver just couldn’t haul it in, but Williams was surely beaten. He struggles to get his head around to look at the ball and will have a problem with penalties in the NFL if it isn’t fixed. It is also important to talk about the recent ACL injury, while I am not going to rank Williams lower due to an injury, it is worth mentioning that he will take some time and it will slow his early development.

Scheme Fit: Zone Coverage

Ideal Role: Boundary CB

Best Team Fits: PIT, LAR, CHI

Player Comparison: Eli Apple

Player Grade: 75.4