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Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams.

If you want to know exactly what kind of state of disrepair the Washington Commanders‘ offense is currently in, just know that the moment Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams was drafted in the 3rd round (No. 71 overall), he became a plug-and-play starter.

It’s the kind of situation that makes NFL defenses salivate when they think about playing the Commanders. It’s that bad.

There is some sliver of hope Williams might actually be an impact player as a rookie behind de facto WR1 Terry McLaurin. In that scenario, there’s a chance the Commanders could be the ones with the last laugh.

NFL draft expert Ethan Kreager put Williams on his list of the best picks outside of the 1st round, in large part thanks to getting to pair him with 3rd year quarterback Jayden Daniels.

“Awesome landing spot in Washington,” Kreager wrote on his official X account. “Great chance to command targets from day 1.”

Commanders Keep Failing With WR Draft Picks

The Commanders drafted a wide receiver in the 3rd or 4th round for the 3rd consecutive season — every draft of the Dan Quinn era — with Williams.

The previous 2 picks can already be looked at as out-and-out failures.

Washington drafted wide receiver Luke McCaffrey in the 3rd round (No. 100 overall) in the 2024 NFL draft, and he has only had 29 receptions for 339 yards and 3 touchdowns through his 1st 2 seasons.

The Commanders drafted wide receiver Jaylin Lane in the 4th round (No. 128 overall) in the 2025 NFL draft, and he did nothing to inspire faith as a rookie — but was better than McCaffrey at least — with 16 receptions for 225 yards and zero touchdowns.

Williams 3-Time All-ACC Selection at Clemson

Williams, 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, was a 3-time All-ACC pick at Clemson and has the kind of speed NFL teams covet after he ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine.

In 4 seasons — including just 5 games as a sophomore — Williams had 208 receptions for 2,336 yards and 23 total touchdowns in 42 career games.

NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein correctly predicted Williams would go in the 3rd round.

“Williams is a bona fide ball player with good size and an ability to make mischief when he totes the pigskin,” Zierlein wrote. “There is freestyling inside his routes that create uncertainty for corners but teams might drill down on attention to detail and better efficiency to keep him on schedule. He’s not a field-stretcher but he plays fast from snap to whistle and has the ball skills to bring in challenging catches. He’s more slippery than explosive with outstanding run-after-catch ability. Williams projects as a productive slot receiver with legitimate run/pass/catch talent that should appeal to creative play-callers.”

There’s a case to be made that the Commanders should no longer consider McLaurin the WR1 on paper only.

After holding out for almost the entire offseason and almost all of training camp in 2025, McLaurin received a 3-year, $97 million contract extension and responded with his worst seasons as a pro. McLaurin finished with career lows across the board, with 38 receptions for 585 yards and 3 touchdowns, while missing a career-high 7 games.