The Pittsburgh Steelers finally acquired a wide receiver after a very lengthy hunt for help at the position dating back to before the 2024 NFL Draft. They completed a trade for Mike Williams in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick to the New York Jets. Is the player worth the wait?
I look into that question with help from his 2024 tape with the Jets.
He was drafted No. 7 overall in the first round by the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2017 NFL Draft. While he has a lot of impressive tape from earlier in his career, I wanted to look specifically at his 2024 tape. He is 30 years old and suffered a season-ending ACL tear in the 2023 season, so it is probably best to isolate his recent body of work over the rest.
Williams was in a crowded wide receiver room for the Jets. He entered the season competing for reps with Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Xavier Gibson, and Malachi Corley. Things got more complicated for him once Davante Adams was traded to New York. The Jets’ offense hasn’t exactly been firing on all cylinders, so that meant limited opportunities for Williams in New York. In nine games, Williams had 12 receptions on 21 targets for 166 receiving yards. Pro Football Focus has charged him with drop this season.
With all that context, let’s dive into some of the tape.
If there is one big reason to be excited about this acquisition, it’s Williams’ ability to catch 50-50 balls. His 6-4 frame with nearly 33.5-inch arms gives him a large catch radius, and he is good at using it.
His first catch as a member of the Jets is a great example of this. He was tightly covered, and the Tennessee Titans corner had his hands in the mix, but Williams used his size and length to catch the ball behind the defender.
He has a handful of catches like that this season that are tightly contested near the sideline. He is good at adjusting to the ball in the air.
It doesn’t always have to be back shoulder either. His most impressive catch of the season was in stride along the right sideline. It was pouring rain and he was hit hard by the Minnesota Vikings defender just as he caught the ball. Just holding onto the ball was impressive enough, but he got both feet in bounds too. It was initially ruled incomplete but got reversed on a challenge.
With Russell Wilson’s moon ball that gives receivers extra time while the ball is in the air, Williams’ ability to adjust and his catch radius should be a big asset for the Steelers. George Pickens is already elite at that particular skill, so having someone like the Steelers’ WR1 opposite him on the outside has the potential to transform the offense.
Williams’ skill set is more versatile than being just a one-trick pony on the outside in contested-catch situations. He has played 80 snaps out of the slot this season and has a lot of experience working out of the slot during his time in Los Angeles. He isn’t an elite separator, but he has enough veteran savvy to understand how to create space. He had a reception against the Steelers a couple weeks ago from the slot.
Aaron Rodgers had two interceptions when targeting Williams this season, both on deep balls. On one of the plays, Williams never looked back and therefore wasn’t able to adjust to the back-shoulder throw. It wasn’t the best placement by Rodgers, but Williams could have at least prevented the interception if he had looked back at any point during his route.
On the second interception, Williams misjudged the ball in the air and ended up losing his feet. This in the fourth quarter in a winnable game against the Buffalo Bills. Rodgers was critical of Williams during his postgame press conference and the two ended up having a private meeting that week to work things out.
As for Williams’ blocking, I will just say this. When a play is clearly designed to be run near him, he is plenty capable as a blocker. Other than that, he doesn’t really seek out contact or go out of his way to try to make or sustain blocks. The Steelers want to be a run-first team, so hopefully Williams will take to coaching in Pittsburgh and put forth a little extra effort as a blocker.
The first play is a toss to his side, and he held the block long enough for the running back to get up the sideline. The second play is not designed to go to his hole, and he never really engages as a blocker. It is more a question of effort and willingness than ability with Williams.
Overall, I think Williams can be a good addition to the offense. Particularly with Wilson’s unique deep ball, it might work out exceedingly well. His effort as a blocker might frustrate at times, though he is plenty capable. The Steelers should also be able to move him around a bit to use him as a big slot receiver at times. For a fifth-round pick, he is definitely worth the risk.
