Antarrious Williams is part of one of the better linebacking corps in the nation.  While undersized for a weakside backer, Williams uses his speed to make plays that other players can't.  Williams was used on the blitz as a junior more and showed the ability to get around the blocker and get to the QB while registering three sacks.  He is able to avoid blockers by scooting around or under them to get to the ball-carrier, although once he's locked up, he doesn't shed with great facility.  Williams is not an outstanding cover guy and does not show good awareness of receivers in his zone.

Despite his small stature, Williams is a big hitter and may project to the strong safety position as an NFL prospect.  He has a history of injuries and missed the end of his junior season and the 2005 spring practices with a wrist injury.  He also missed a couple games in his senior year with a neck stinger. He also was unable to finish his sophomore season and missed the spring practices prior to his junior season with a leg injury.  He seems to be prone to injury because he plays the game bigger than he actually is.  NFL scouts will have to hope that a move to strong safety will alleviate some of those concerns. A move to strong safety would certainly exploit Williams's run stopping skills, but his suspect pass coverage would be exposed even more.  Because of this, I don't expect to hear Williams's name called until the latter stages of the 2006 NFL Draft if at all.

Photo courtesy of Auburn athletics