The Ed Williams thread

[El Guapo]

What did you all think about Ed Williams' play in camp last season? He obviously did not make the original roster but they stored him on the practice squad. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed that he wasn't activated when we eventually had some real needs at WR. He seemed like a play maker - not a star - but a play maker.

I just saw a few pre-draft WR articles about the Packers where they essentially tossed Williams aside as not even a consideration in our 2016 plans. Does anyone think that he has a legitimate shot? I think that he's solid but would only have a shot due to injuries or someone like Adams or Montgomery having a terrible camp.

 

[PackerDNA]

Who?
All kidding aside, I don't know much of anything about him, but I'd think he would have really needed to stand out to sway the team's mind on sticking with their known youngsters.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

While I don't know much about Williams either, you have to conclude he wasn't ready to go at the end of last year. If memory serves me correct, the Packers chose to play with their only 4 healthy WR's (Cobb, Jones, Abby and Janis) for the final game against Arizona.

He's not a "young" second year player at 25, but he does come from a small program and the Packers resigned him. So who knows, maybe he just needed a year on the PS to learn the system and the NFL.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

What did you all think about Ed Williams' play in camp last season? He obviously did not make the original roster but they stored him on the practice squad. Admittedly, I was a bit disappointed that he wasn't activated when we eventually had some real needs at WR. He seemed like a play maker - not a star - but a play maker.

I just saw a few pre-draft WR articles about the Packers where they essentially tossed Williams aside as not even a consideration in our 2016 plans. Does anyone think that he has a legitimate shot? I think that he's solid but would only have a shot due to injuries or someone like Adams or Montgomery having a terrible camp.

I don´t think Williams has a legitimate shot to make the Packers roster in 2016.

 

[El Guapo]

If memory serves me correct, he turned as many heads in training camp as Montgomery but is a small school product and wasn't drafted, which is usually the death nail.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

If memory serves me correct, he turned as many heads in training camp as Montgomery but is a small school product and wasn't drafted, which is usually the death nail.

It's true that Williams impressed during camp after being signed days after it had already started. I just don't see him moving ahead of any of the team's top six receivers on the depth chart though.

 

[HardRightEdge]

It's true that Williams impressed during camp after being signed days after it had already started. I just don't see him moving ahead of any of the team's top six receivers on the depth chart though.

I think Abbrederis is vulnerable. He has some noticeable skills but they're fairly narrow, and he's an injury risk. That's not an endorsement of Williams; just a general observation.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

After 2015 I think the Packers have a lot of questions at WR from #3 - #6. Hopefully Montgomery, Adams, Abby and Janis all can remain healthy to answer these questions and prove their value to the team. If the Packers use a #5 or below pick on a WR, it might tell us just how confident TT is in the group.

 

[HardRightEdge]

After 2015 I think the Packers have a lot of questions at WR from #3 - #6. Hopefully Montgomery, Adams, Abby and Janis all can remain healthy to answer these questions and prove their value to the team. If the Packers use a #5 or below pick on a WR, it might tell us just how confident TT is in some the group.

I'd be surprised if Thompson went higher than 5th. round, and I'd put even money on him not drafting a WR at all. Consider the TE as the enhancement to the receiving crew. The #6 spot is vulnerable; Janis has shown some progression and has value as a gunner.

Too much has been expended on this WR group in terms of cap and draft capital to start throwing more resources at it.

The only caveat would be if there is concern for Nelson's knee. By all accounts, though, he was progressing very well.

 

[Pokerbrat2000]

It will be an interesting year at the WR position for sure. With Jordy back and the addition of Cook at TE, I see a definite improvement from top to bottom. If everyone stays healthy, there will be a battle between the "bottom 4" to get playing time. We may end up not seeing much of Abby or Janis. If that is the case, I don't see either of them in GB after this year, unless Janis continues to prove his value on special teams.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I think Abbrederis is vulnerable. He has some noticeable skills but they're fairly narrow, and he's an injury risk. That's not an endorsement of Williams; just a general observation.

I agree that Abbrederis is injury-prone but when healthy he has enough talent to be a decent backup receiver in the NFL.

 

[HardRightEdge]

I agree in the sense that he's quick out of his breaks, looks to be running good routes, and the few drops not withstanding he looks to have soft hands. Rule changes notwithstanding, he lacks the physicality to run inside routes, and doesn't have the speed to stretch the field, which makes his route tree pretty narrow. I suppose as a #6 he's OK. But he won't give you anything on special teams which means he won't even make the game day roster if all the other hands are on deck.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

I agree in the sense that he's quick out of his breaks, looks to be running good routes, and the few drops not withstanding he looks to have soft hands. Rule changes notwithstanding, he lacks the physicality to run inside routes, and doesn't have the speed to stretch the field, which makes his route tree pretty narrow. I suppose as a #6 he's OK. But he won't give you anything on special teams which means he won't even make the game day roster if all the other hands are on deck.

Abbrederis has enough speed to stretch the field. Remember that he had a nearly identical 40-yard dash as Nelson and was significantly faster than the Packers top receiver in the 3 cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle. And while he most likely doesn't have the physicality to stay healthy he's for not afraid to play inside.

 

[HardRightEdge]

Abbrederis has enough speed to stretch the field. Remember that he had a nearly identical 40-yard dash as Nelson and was significantly faster than the Packers top receiver in the 3 cone drill and the 20-yard shuttle. And while he most likely doesn't have the physicality to stay healthy he's for not afraid to play inside.

I see it as a different kind of speed.

Nelson's a long strider with long speed; once he gets going he doesn't get caught from behind. He has that top gear. And what makes him a field-stretcher is his threat as an inside receiver. If a guy respects the inside too much, Nelson can toss him a double move; if the guy gets caught the least bit flat footed it's off to the races. If the guy respects the outside too much, Nelson can burn him to the post. There's a reason why he gets doubled low an high with frequency.

Abbrederis, like Cobb, has early quickness and early speed, but don't see that top gear. Abbrederis's Combine 40 was only 5/100 better than Cobb, literally less than a blink of the eye, but you would not consider Cobb to have field-stretching speed.

Abbrederis' chief virtues are (1) how quick he is out of breaks, though that foot-chopping he does sometimes at the DBs face is a little odd and may work to his detriment and (2) he runs good routes. He has a lot of the characteristics of a possession receiver, but lacks the physicality to stand up under the punishment that role can entail.