*WR grades can and will change as more information comes in from Pro Day workouts, Wonderlic test results leaked, etc. We will update ratings as new info becomes available.
*WR-B stands for "Big-WR," a classification we use to separate the more physical, downfield/over-the-top, heavy-red-zone-threat-type WRs. Our WR-S/"Small-WRs" are profiled by our computer more as slot and/or possession-type WRs who are typically less physical and rely more on speed/agility to operate underneath the defense and/or use big speed to get open deep...they are not used as weapons in the red zone as much.
This is going to be a very weird scouting report...
Because, on the one hand...we have a ‘passing’/’good’ grade on Williams. He’s got a great physique/size and is arguably the most unique WR prospect in the draft...outside of Travis Hunter, because Savion had 60 catches and 6 rec. TDs along with 51 carries running the ball and 6 rushing TDs. I’m highly interested in unique, radical talents...especially on the Fantasy side.
On the other hand, Savion is just a so-so/not bad WR...and kind of a so-so runner of the ball...really ‘cool’ dual purpose for college, and maybe something that could work well in the NFL -- but when do these kinds of players ever get offensive plans/touches designed for their unique skill set and then pushed to the moon with touches?
I could see Savion being an exciting, radical producer and fan favorite in the NFL. I could.
...but I could also see him being a complete ‘bust’ as well...a ‘bust’ because the NFL never took him off their shelf and utilized the tool to their benefit.
In the stock market, we would call this ‘a very volatile stock’. A stock prone to and susceptible big swings up and down in price in a short time frame (or high/low spikes in football output in this case)...a stock that has price swings that will make you fall in love one day, then make you sick and panic and wanna ‘dump it’ the next.
Our Ross Jacobs says (about Savion): Cordarrelle Patterson! Which is a proper comp idea, but then you think about CPatt’s career, and he has spent an entire NFL career never getting the real push in his multifaceted ways/gifts. There was that one half-a-season with the Falcons where CP was insanely good as a WR and then as a lead RB...but Art Smith took it all away from him the moment he could. All of CP’s other NFL seasons...wasted by NFL coaches, who didn’t know what to do with him besides ‘talk’ about what they hoped they could do with him on paper, on the chalkboard...but then never following through with it on the field on game days.
My first thought, watching Savion, was...Laviska Shenault. Every year, for like 5+ years we’d all see a football blurb about how Shenault’s new team (he was on a different team like every season) was so excited on all the ways they were gonna use him...and then they never did...but they definitely ‘were gonna’, but they never actually did.
The last prospect to have actual usage numbers like Savion did in 2024 was Curtis Samuel back with Ohio State years ago, a legit WR one series then a lead back the next series...not a WR who had a lot of gimmick runs...no, Samuel was a terrific WR AND a terrific RB. He was drafted into the NFL, quickly buried on the bench and not used at all as an RB. Then they started to give CSam some jet sweeps in his 2nd-year, and he ran for 2 TDs on 8 carries...he’d go into the game and be an instant homerun threat, make his one big run...then never get the ball again all game. In his first two NFL seasons, he ran for 16.0 and then 10.5 yards per carry, on low touches...high efficiency...but the NFL doesn’t want players like this/doesn’t know what to do with them...coach’s 1970 and 80s and 90s playbooks they learned the game by didn’t have players like this who needed special, unique plays to fit their skillset.
Deebo Samuel is the comp you hear mostly on Savion, but he only got carries when the 49ers ran into RB injury issues/crisis in his 3rd-season. Deebo has never topped his 2021 breakout season as a WR + RB...2021 was his career high in catches, rec. yards, rush attempts, rush yards, rush TDs, total TDs. From there, the 49ers did not expand his role and playbook...they instead fought with him about usage and contracts and just 4 years after his monster breakout season, the 49ers just ‘gave him away’.
Why should I expect Savion Williams to make it big in the NFL, fighting against that history? Why should I expect Savion to be creatively used and expanded in his NFL journey? The smart money is -- he is pushed as a WR mainly, with some gimmick runs here and there and he just kinda slips into the background noise and we never really think about him much 1-2 years from now.
I hate to be a pessimist, but I’m only playing the odds on what history and the current day NFL says is true...there has never been a steady, reliable, ever-expanding WR/RB hybrid that was used right away and we all marveled. It’s only been slow adoption, sporadic carries, and gimmick touches at that (jet sweeps, wildcat). Savion should be pushed as a unique weapon for an NFL offense...but the odds are that he won’t be...which isn’t his fault, it’s the NFL’s fault...which is why they will waste Travis Hunter and why the Saints never really fully gave into Taysom Hill.
Most all NFL offenses and coaches are like my grandfather in the modern era -- they grew up on certain things, they’ve been doing things a certain way for decades, and you aren’t going to change their minds or their plans. Savion Williams is very likely not gonna force a change of plans of any head coach or offensive coordinator in the NFL...but they’ll all sure talk a big game about it all offseason and discuss all the creative ways he can be used, and then they won’t actually use it, stick with it, or expand it. Savion is like a smartphone in the hands of my 90+ year old grandfather -- an incredible machine/tool that will become a paperweight for his mail and newspaper he still has delivered.
OK, I wasn’t planning such a soap box moment...let’s get onto the actual scouting of Savion...but I had to set the table that all you’re gonna read here, all the things I’ve/you’ve seen on tape or highlights on Savion, all of it is likely a big waste of time...sadly...because the NFL will not use him like he was used in college.
...but somebody out there in the NFL could be that ‘first time’, so cross your fingers...but don’t bet on it.
I watched all Savion’s 2024 work at TCU, and as a total receiver/runner package...there’s something here. Break it apart into ‘just’ a WR or ‘just’ an RB...and either ‘just’ is not that great, but it’s not bad, on its own.
I’d say Savion is a ‘C+/C’ grade WR. He has nice size, good long speed, runs pretty decent routes...but is a below average ‘hands’ WR. He was one of the highest ‘drops’ rate players in college over the past few years...and you can see it on tape, he’s not a great receiver...but he’s not bad/horrible. I think you could make a case of forgiving the drops and just getting him the ball on 2-3-4 bubble screens a game and let him be a running back after the catch. I don’t need him to be Jerry Rice or Larry Fitzgerald. But the only thing the NFL hates more than RB/WR split talent prospects are receiver ‘drops’. Well, fumbles are first...then ‘drops’. If Savion has some ‘drops’ issues out of the gates, he could get ‘cooked’ before he ever gets a chance to get going.
Savion was a failed/mediocre WR for four seasons at TCU...then pushed into a split role WR/RB, partially birthed out of wanting to get him the ball but worried that he’d drop too many passes, so they tried to directly hand it to him -- and BINGO!
As a runner of the ball, strictly judging his jet sweeps and wildcats...he’s also a ‘C’ grade talent. He’s not a great runner of the ball, but he’s fine...and big/tough. He’s unique and can catch defenses off guard on the run, but he’s not a real RB vision or movement...he’s a very slow starter to get up to speed with the ball (‘burst’ was his worst attribute from the Combine, a weaker 10-yd split), but when he gets going -- he’s a tank that DBs will have a tough time tackling. But if you stick him in as a tailback and had him take 10 carries a game...it wouldn’t work. He’s built more for jet sweeps or especially wildcat...3-4-5 situationally ‘right’ carries per game.
This is a scouting case where ‘C’ grade (receiver) PLUS ‘C’ grade (runner) = ‘B’ grade prospect because of the multifaceted, unique abilities combining forces...but it’s most likely to become a ‘D’ grade outcome in the NFL...a forgettable, forgotten souped-up, high horsepower truck left in the garage to rot.
Savion Williams, Through the Lens of Our WR Scouting Algorithm:
-- No carries for his first three seasons, 11-62-0 rushing in 2023, then a 51-322-6 (6.3 ypc) season in 2024.
And just 3 carries his first 6 games of the 2024 season, and then 48 carries/8.0 carries per game his final 6 games of his career. Savion went through 4.5 seasons not being thought of to be a dual threat weapon. It happened late in his career, and really by ‘accident’.
-- One 100+ yard receiving game in his career.
-- 17-20 drops reported in his career on a best estimate 175 targets...a 10%+ drops rate...is not good.
2025 Measurables:
6’3.7”/222
10.25” hands, 32.5” arms, 80 7/8” wingspan
4.48 40-time
1.60 10-yd, 2.63 20-yd
Sub-7.0 est. three-cone
37” est. vertical
The Historical WR Prospects to Whom Savion Williams Most Compares Within Our System:
What did not catch my attention until I ran the ‘comp’ matches in our scouting models (after I wrote everything above) -- Savion may also have another path...what about him as a ‘move TE’?
Savion is nearly 6’4”, but 222 pounds...but that’s only like 8 pounds away from really thinking about it. Not as a legit three-down TE, but as an H-back/move TE/FB/RB/WR type? And he was a high school QB who was 3-for-3 passing for a 1 TD/0 INTs in 2024 for TCU. He might have Taysom Hill hope?
Also, Savion is a very ‘tough’, borderline arrogant player...he prides himself on toughness and blocking, so maybe some ‘move TE’ could work with him? He’s not a finesse player, he’s a bully type/style player.
Again...I ‘imagine the possibilities!’. But the NFL thinks ‘we must put this guy at one position!’ (and it will probably be special teams).
The top 10 comps that came up for Savion, in our system, were athletic WRs who weren’t very good at being WRs, but then some of them tried to become a TE...and it never really seems to work out.
|
WR Score |
Draft Yr |
Last |
First |
College |
H |
H |
W |
Power Strngth Metric |
Speed Agility Metric |
Hands' Metric |
Route Running |
|
8.016 |
2025 |
Williams |
Savion |
TCU |
6 |
3.7 |
222 |
9.82 |
7.86 |
6.05 |
7.29 |
|
5.770 |
2013 |
Patterson |
Cordarrelle |
Tennessee |
6 |
1.7 |
216 |
7.43 |
9.38 |
5.02 |
6.21 |
|
7.866 |
2010 |
Dickerson |
Dorin |
Pittsburgh |
6 |
1.8 |
226 |
12.70 |
7.47 |
7.57 |
4.71 |
|
7.871 |
2014 |
Enunwa |
Quincy |
Nebraska |
6 |
2.0 |
225 |
11.26 |
6.50 |
8.43 |
6.80 |
|
8.758 |
2015 |
White |
Kevin |
West Va |
6 |
2.5 |
215 |
8.55 |
9.54 |
7.24 |
6.37 |
|
6.131 |
2022 |
Miller |
Andre |
Maine |
6 |
2.2 |
224 |
7.58 |
7.77 |
7.40 |
5.55 |
|
4.931 |
2016 |
North |
Marquez |
Tennessee |
6 |
2.4 |
223 |
10.00 |
6.65 |
7.14 |
4.16 |
*A score of 7.0+ is where we start to take a Big-WR prospect more seriously. A score of 8.50+ is where we see a stronger correlation of a Big-WR going on to become NFL good/great/elite. A score of 10.00+ is more rarefied air in our system and indicates a greater probability of becoming an elite NFL Big-WR.
All of the WR ratings are based on a 0–10 scale, but a player can score negative, or above a 10.0 in certain instances.
Overall WR score = A combination of several on-field performance measures, including refinement for strength of opponents faced, mixed with all the physical measurement metrics, and rated historically in our database.
“Power-Strength” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding physical size profiling, bench press strength, etc. High scorers here project to be more physical, better blockers, and less injury-prone.
“Speed-Agility” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding speed, agility, physical size, mixed with some on-field performance metrics. High scorers here project to have a better YAC and show characteristics to be used as deep threats/to create separation.
“Hands” = A combination of unique metrics surrounding on-field performance in college, considering the strength of opponents played. Furthermore, this data considers some physical profiling for hand size, etc. High scorers here have a better track record of college statistical performance. Everything combining to project catch-abilities for the next level.
“Route Running” = A new metric in 2025...simply grading the route running ability, taking tape study and separation metrics and the measurables into consideration.
2025 NFL Draft Outlook:
Savion is tracking in the top 100 overall...outside the top 10 consensus ranked WRs. I think that’s about the right area...top 100, in the #85-100 range.
If I were an NFL GM, I’d have an interest in Savion taking on a unique role with my team...but I’m not sure I’d pay top 100 overall money for it...with so many good/great prospects available at more important positions on day two of a Draft. But I’d have an interest in dreaming up things to use him like a Taysom Hill or Deebo or whatever. But I also think I could take some other players and try to carve out that same role...guys who have never been used that way, but I think could be...so why waste a pick on it when I could develop it myself from some other cast-off/failed WR or TE or RB or athletic QB? But Savion is further ahead in actual WR abilities than most of the existing players or prospects I’d look at for the role.
NFL Outlook:
I think I made my future projection on Savion pretty clear in the opening statements here.
*Grok 3.0 Scouting Report (300-word report to compare and contrast where the mainstream is at)
As of March 18, 2025, Savion Williams, a wide receiver from TCU, emerges as a dynamic yet developmental prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft. Standing at 6-foot-5 and weighing 225 pounds, Williams combines size, speed (4.48 40-yard dash), and versatility, making him a matchup nightmare. His 2024 senior season showcased this, with 60 receptions for 611 yards and 6 touchdowns, plus 310 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns on 38 carries, highlighted by a 75-yard touchdown against Texas Tech. His wildcat quarterback role added a passing touchdown, underscoring his multi-faceted skill set. Over 42 games (27 starts), he amassed 137 catches for 1,647 yards and 20 touchdowns, with a breakout 2023 (573 yards, 4 TDs) and 2022 playoff run (392 yards, 4 TDs).
Strengths: Williams’ athleticism shines with a 21.7 mph top speed (Bruce Feldman’s Freak List) and a 36.5-inch vertical, enabling explosive plays. His large catch radius and strong hands (when focused) make him a red-zone threat, with 20 career touchdowns. His route-running improved in 2024, showing nuance on slants and posts, and his Senior Bowl performance against Power Five defenders (e.g., Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen) highlighted his contested-catch ability. Zero career fumbles reflect ball security, a rarity for a dual-threat player.
Weaknesses: Williams’ drop rate exceeds 10% (estimated 17-21 from 176 targets), with “frustrating concentration drops” noted, particularly on routine catches. His route tree lacks polish, relying on speed over technique, and his blocking is minimal, typical for a move receiver. An undisclosed 2024 New Mexico Bowl absence (possibly injury-related) and no official captaincy suggest durability or leadership questions. His FCS-to-Power Five transition (via junior college) limits high-level competition exposure, and technical refinement is needed against NFL press coverage.
Projection: Rated 84.0 (No. 13 WR by NFL Draft Buzz), Williams projects as a Day 2 pick (late 2nd to early 3rd round). His ceiling is a dynamic X or Z receiver in a spread offense, but his floor is a situational player until drops and routes improve. Teams like the Packers or Eagles, valuing size-speed combos, may target him, though medical checks on his 2024 absence are critical. A strong Pro Day could solidify his stock.
