From now until the 2024 NFL Draft, we will scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, down to Day 3 selections, and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Texas offensive tackle Cameron Williams.
#56 Cameron Williams/OT Texas – 6050, 335 lbs. (Rs. Sophomore)
Senior Bowl/NFL Combine
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Cameron Williams | 6050, 335 lbs | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
THE GOOD
— Ideal measurements for an NFL tackle
— Utilizes his length to maintain distance from rushers
— Faced NFL-level competition in college, truly battle-tested
— Finds work in pass protection when left empty
— Has power in his hands to knock over defenders
— Acceleration to cover ground in the run game with high-level range
— Potential to be a run game destroyer who mauls opponents
The Bad
— Pass block stance is unbalanced and needs to change; can put himself in vulnerable physical positions in pass protection
— Erratic run defender and will miss many blocks
— Only one year of full starting experience
— Needs to clean up penalties; flagged seventeen times this season
— Hand placement is inconsistent, and he will leave his strike zone open too often
— Lower body flexibility leaves more to be desired, limiting ability to cover ground on his dropbacks
Bio
— 16 career starts in college
— 5 sacks and 26 pressures allowed in 2024
— 1,124 career blocking reps
— No significant injury history
— Favorite food is shepherd’s pie, favorite snack is sour strawberry gummies
— Committed to Texas as a three-star prospect from Duncanville, Texas
— Interested in real estate following football career
— 67.3 overall PFF grade, 70.8 run defense, and 72.6 pass blocking grade in 2024
— No significant awards
Tape Breakdown
NFL offenses are in dire need of capable starting tackles. Starting NFL tackles must be technically refined while hitting high physical benchmarks. Texas’ Cameron Williams is far from a finished product but has rare traits worth betting on.
At 6’5” and 335 lbs, Williams is built to play tackle. Many tackles in this class are potential interior fits; Williams will stick on the outside. His size comes with tremendous length. Williams has long, vine-like arms to disengage the opponent’s rush. His hand swipes are still raw, but he uses his length advantage to maintain distance. When edge rushers bullrush, Williams can sit back and stretch his arms calmly. Watch how Williams reacts to the initial rush attempt. He shifts his shoulders inwards to extend his wingspan fully and prevent real contact.
Like many linemen his size, Williams suffers from some flexibility issues. His upper body moves just fine. He’ll rotate his torso to attack rushers from different angles. On the other hand, Williams’ lower body flexibility affects key parts of Williams’ pass protection. The stiffness messes with his stance, causing him to lean slightly forward on his toes. This throws off his balance on plays where he’ll end up on the ground or completely turned around. Here, Williams completely folds inward and is spun around.
This issue further manifests itself in pass pro. Because he doesn’t fully bend his knees, Williams hinges at his hips, leaning his chest torso. This is a recipe for disaster. Especially when facing strong-armed rushers, leaning forward lets the rusher use the lineman’s leverage against them to pull the lineman downward. NFL tackles like Evan Neal deal with this problem.
Williams’ stiffness barely affects his foot speed. He covers enough ground on his release to secure winnable angles. As said before, Williams often resorts to hand fighting. He packs power in his punches, but his accuracy is all over the place. He’ll miss punches and leave his strike zone, the chest, wide open. This lets defenders strike his pads and secure leverage quickly.
To no surprise, Williams plays with a strong, stout base. He can absorb bull rushes and counter many power moves with strength alone. He blocks with composure, when left empty he’ll quickly search for ways to help across on the line of scrimmage.
Williams run blocks with a maulers mentality. He’s always looking to punish defenders and tack on pancake blocks. Williams has impressive juice to get to the second level quickly. He’s agile enough to rotate to the sideline and execute pulls.
However, Williams’s run-blocking technique is completely erratic. It’s difficult for Williams to secure blocks while moving forward. He whiffs a lot due to his aggressiveness and poor hand placement.
Williams is entering the draft with an interesting college profile. He only started a single season at Texas but faced many of the top edge rushers in the draft. He’s battle-tested against quality defenders but lacks the reps and experience of other linemen in his class. This shows up with Williams’ penalty tendencies. He was flagged seventeen times this season, a sign of work to do on multiple fronts. The lack of reps can also be a positive, showing that Williams can drastically improve his skills with time.
Conclusion
With textbook size and length, the NFL tackle potential is obvious for Williams. His stance and hand placement must be fixed to block at a starting lineman level. He’s shown flashes of impressive pass reps and is further away as a run defender. He profiles as a developmental tackle with a high ceiling. He’ll benefit from a year of growth before seeing the field. My NFL comparison for Williams is Wanya Morris.
Projection: Middle Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.6 – Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd-round)
Games Watched: 2024 @ Michigan, 2024 vs Georgia, 2024 @ Texas A&M, 2024 vs Ohio State
