Mike Williams

Williams finally appeared to put it all together last year in his second season catching passes from Justin Herbert. The first four years of Williams' career included a 10-TD season in 2018 (but with only 664 yards) and a 1,001-yard season in 2019 (with only two TDs). Last year, Williams again provided big plays and touchdowns, and also topped his career high for targets by 39. On paper, it was a legitimate breakout, placing him at WR9 for standard scoring and WR12 for PPR. The one problem? Williams averaged 6.2 catches for 94 yards and 1.2 TDs on 10.2 targets the first five weeks, followed by 4.1 catches for 61.4 yards and 0.3 TDs on 7.1 targets in his final 11 games. In other words, he reverted back to his old self after a month, at least on the stat sheet. It makes for an interesting case as the No. 7 overall pick from the 2017 Draft prepares for Year 6, now signed to a three-year, $60 million extension. There's no question the Chargers' passing game will run through Williams, Keenan Allen and Austin Ekeler, and there's not much doubt it'll be one of the better attacks in the league. The question is whether Williams will earn a big piece of that pie, like he did in early 2021, or if he'll spend more time clearing out space for Allen and Ekeler to see short targets.

The seventh overall pick in 2017, Williams has quietly lived up to his billing, though you wouldn’t necessarily know it from his cosmetic stats. His per-play output has been among the league’s best the last three seasons. The problem for Williams has always been volume, and last season was no different. Despite missing only one game, Williams managed just 85 targets, compared to Keenan Allen’s far less efficient 147 in 14 games. The Chargers also have a high-volume pass-catching running back in Austin Ekeler (though he was hurt for much of last year) and replaced the departed Hunter Henry with Jared Cook at tight end — i.e., if Williams is to get more opportunities this season it won’t be due to personnel changes. At 6-4, 218, with 4.49 speed and a massive wingspan, Williams can outreach, out-jump and outmuscle defensive backs. While quarterback Philip Rivers used to throw him jump balls, Justin Herbert has the arm and downfield accuracy to hit Williams in stride. Williams had fewer big plays last year — only two catches of 40-plus yards, down from a league-leading eight in 2019 — in part because the team used rookie burner Jaylen Guyton (four 40-yard catches) to attack downfield. New head coach Brandon Staley — the former Rams defensive coordinator — and his offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi could change the target distribution in Williams’ favor this season, but Allen is likely the top dog, and Lombardi’s previous stints favored pass-catching backs like Ekeler.

After scoring 10 TDs on only 66 targets in 2018, Williams' TD/target ratio cratered last year with only two scores on 89 looks. Chalk it up mostly to bad luck. Williams had roughly the same number of red-zone and goal-line targets both seasons, dropped only three passes all year and tied for the league lead with a whopping eight catches for 40-plus yards. In other words, he had adequate red-zone looks, a ton of big plays and only two TDs to show for it. Williams was also efficient. He led all 85-target receivers with 20.4 YPC, and was second to A.J. Brown with 11.2 YPT. At 6-4, 220, and with a giant wingspan, Williams doesn't need to be open to make a play, and his 4.49 wheels allow him to get downfield. With Philip Rivers gone, the Chargers apparently will roll with Tyrod Taylor at QB, though they drafted Justin Herbert sixth overall. Either way, it probably means fewer overall passes and not as many downfield throws. But Williams is one of the NFL's more physically gifted WRs, and the 2017 seventh overall pick should continue to increase his share in the passing game relative to Rivers-favorite Keenan Allen. At the least, expect a bounce back in TDs. Williams acknowledged after the season he played on a sore knee, but exams showed no major damage, and he returned healthy for the start of training camp. Unfortunately, he sprained his shoulder during a practice in late August, leaving his Week 1 status up in the air.

After barely playing his rookie year due to a back injury, the seventh overall pick from the 2017 draft showed encouraging signs during his second season. Although he saw only 66 targets (60th), Williams scored a whopping 10 times (T-6th) and averaged 10.1 YPT and 15.4 YPC. At 6-4, 220, Williams is a huge receiver with a massive catch radius, and the Chargers used him a lot near the goal line - nine (T-8th) of his 66 targets were from inside the 10, and he scored on six. Williams also runs well for his size with a 4.49 40 time at his pro day (he didn't run at the NFL combine). Chargers GM Tom Telesco gave Williams a vote of confidence in March, saying the 24-year-old wide receiver has the ability to handle a high-volume role, and Telesco backed up that confidence by letting Tyrell Williams (65 targets) leave for Oakland this offseason. That makes Mike Williams the primary red-zone and downfield weapon this year while Keenan Allen runs mostly short and intermediate routes. Allen is still the favorite to lead the team in targets, and the Chargers should have Hunter Henry at full strength, but Williams with more volume could push for the NFL lead in touchdowns.

A bad back derailed Williams' rookie season as he saw only 23 targets in 10 games. But last year's seventh overall pick is completely healthy heading into OTAs and will get the chance for a do-over. At 6-4, 218, Williams has excellent size and a massive catch radius, making him an ideal red-zone threat. Williams didn't run at the 2017 combine but turned in a 4.49 40 at his pro day. He's strong and athletic enough to make plays even when he doesn't have much separation. Another concern is the Chargers' densely packed depth chart - No. 1 target Keenan Allen finally stayed healthy, and at press time Tyrell Williams and Travis Benjamin are still on the team. But the Chargers didn't use such a high pick on Williams to have him sit, so he should have a chance to emerge as the team's No. 2 receiver behind Allen. Given Allen's extensive injury history, there's some upside here.

With Keenan Allen presumably coming back from his torn ACL and Tyrell Williams breaking out, the Chargers didn't necessarily need a receiver. But they took Mike Williams with the seventh overall pick anyway. At 6-4, 218 and with a huge catch radius, Williams can make plays both down the field and in the red zone. He's not especially fast -- 4.6 40 -- but given his size and ball skills he can make plays even if he doesn't separate. Williams' route running needs work, and he might not be polished enough for a huge role. There's a fair amount of targets to go around, but Williams has a lot of competition. In addition to Allen and Tyrell Williams, LAC has two capable TEs in Antonio Gates and Hunter Henry and a field-stretcher WR in Travis Benjamin. Williams sat out OTAs with mild disc herniation in his lower back and opened training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. The Chargers still hope he'll be ready by Week 1, but his absence from practices (and possibly exhibition games) will make it tougher to earn a major role.