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2021 NFL Draft Profile: Marlon Williams

Where does UCF’s top receiver from last year go?

UCF WR Marlon Williams Photo: Derek Warden

Our first offensive player draft profile is on a guy whose prospects - for some reason - are all over the place.

Marlon Williams - WR

  • HEIGHT: 5’ 11.2”
  • WEIGHT: 209 pounds
  • 40 YD DASH: 4.59 seconds
  • BENCH PRESS: 14 reps
  • WINGSPAN: 73 1/2”
  • VERTICAL JUMP: 33.5”
  • BROAD JUMP: 9’ 11”
  • 20 YD SHUTTLE: 4.57 seconds

Stats

1,039.

That’s the amount of receiving yards WR Marlon Williams had last season. For a good chunk of the season, he was among the leaders in the entire nation.

Among his 2021 draft classmates, only Heisman winner DeVonta Smith, Ole Miss’s Elijah Moore, North Texas’s Jaelon Darden and Arkansas State’s Jonathan Adams Jr. have more yards.

Williams was also just one of 11 players to catch double-digit touchdowns in last year’s abbreviated season.

To put it short, Williams dominated in 2020. He was Dillon Gabriel’s favorite target and Williams took advantage of the attention.

Williams is fast, but he isn’t the fastest in this class, which is why he probably won’t be off the board until the middle of Day 3. He ran a 4.59 40-time at UCF’s Pro Day earlier this month, which is behind a good chunk of receivers in this ultra-speedy class.

Williams’ strength comes from his ability to break tackles and earn yards after the catch. He can line up in the slot and catch slants from a quarterback in the NFL and he can turn a five-yard catch into a 20-yard catch. It’ll be interesting to see how his game translates to the next level and if he can hold up against stronger linebackers, corners and safeties.

Whichever team grabs Williams isn’t getting a slam dunk, but they’re getting an extremely hard worker and if he lands with the right team, he could carve out a decent 7-10 years in the NFL.