Approaching the 2025 NFL Draft, we’ll be scouting as many of the top prospects that the Pittsburgh Steelers could have their eye on anywhere from Rounds 1 through 7. We’ll break down the prospects themselves, strengths and weaknesses, projected draft capital and their fit with the Steelers.

The Steelers are doing their homework on middle-round wide receivers — could TCU’s Savion Williams help fill out the Pittsburgh receiver room?

The basics on Savion Williams

Position: Wide receiver

Class: Fifth-year senior

Size: 6’4, 222 pounds

Age: Not listed

Projected draft round: 3

Stats via Sports Reference

After watching a lot of Savion Williams, his draft hype is clearly built around the upside more than polished on-field results.

But the upside is very hard to ignore.

Williams weighed in at the NFL Combine at 6’4, 222 pounds. He also ran a 4.48-second 40-yard dash. In short, that’s George Pickens speed at one inch taller and 27 pounds heavier. Williams might not be the fastest or quickest player in this class, but at his size, he’s an undeniable freak athlete.

Understandably, TCU tried their best to get the ball into Williams’ hands, with the fifth-year senior logging over 100 touches in 2024. Williams lined up at boundary receiver, but he also recorded 51 carries, most of which coming out of the wildcat (he was also 3/3 for 22 yards and a touchdown as a passer — good gadget player).

As a receiver, Williams’ route-running can be hit and miss. He has the speed to make plays downfield but isn’t much of a natural separator. He plays a little upright, often rounds off his routes, and had a limited college route tree comprised heavily of go balls, slants, and screens. However, there are moments where he shows off bursts of suddenness to manipulate defensive backs (No. 3 in all clips).

Williams is similarly inconsistent as a pass-catcher. He’s just not a smooth, natural catcher, with a lot of body catches on tape and a good number of drops. He’s not going to consistently make acrobatic catches or grabs away from his frame, and his ball tracking could use some work.

However, Williams’ size and athleticism drew a lot of pass interference flags, and he still had a couple of highlight reel grabs in 2024 where he simply overpowered defensive backs. Again: upside, upside, upside.

He brings some RAC ability with his speed and physicality, even having some success as a short-yardage ball-carrier:

Williams’ athletic traits shined a bit more consistently as a runner. Wildcat gadgetry doesn’t always translate to NFL stardom, and Williams’ height doesn’t give him an ideal low center of gravity, but he could see some success as a running back/receiver hybrid at the next level.

Here, you can see his speed and quickness really shine:

He brings a lot of physicality to the table, as well:

Overall, Williams has a legitimate WR1 ceiling even if he more realistically projects as a WR3/4 at the next level. He’s either going to be one of those players who never really finds a role in the NFL, or leaves fans wondering why he wasn’t drafted a round or two earlier.

The good news is that Williams has solid volume stats for such a project of a player, and at minimum he should be able to find some success in a gadget/special teams role, where his dynamic ability as a ball-carrier should earn him touches. If he can improve his route-running and become a more consistent catcher, the sky is the limit — but that’s a big ask. A permanent switch to running back could be in the cards, too.

Strengths

Exciting size/athleticism combination
Draws lots of pass interference flags
Contested catch flashes
Plus blocker thanks to his size
Success as a runner

Weaknesses

Lots of body catches, drops; ball skills are not NFL-caliber
Still raw as a route-runner; upright; often rounds off routes
Limited college route tree
Older prospect

Lance Zierlein of NFL.com

Developmental wideout who offers an alluring blend of physical gifts and untapped potential. Williams is big, strong and fast but very raw as a route-runner and is unreliable with his hands. His production is uneven as a traditional wideout, but he adds a dynamic kick to the offense as a gadget runner and as a catch-and-run option underneath. He excels on power sweeps and is willful enough for consideration on short-yardage and goal-line carries on direct snaps. The ball skills can be hit-or-miss. but there are flashes to work with on tape. The difference between “siren song” or “pot of gold” could rest in Williams’ technical development and the creativity of his play-caller.

Dame Parson of Bleacher Report

Overall, Savion Williams projects as WR3/4 with developmental tools and positional versatility. The combination of strength, speed, and agility with the ball in his hands can be dangerous. There’s plenty of upside at the wide receiver position, but the landing spot will be paramount for him to reach his ceiling. … GRADE: 7.3 (High-Level Backup/Potential Starter — Third Round) … PRO COMPARISON: Chase Claypool

Chris Pflum of Big Blue View

This biggest hurdle to getting consistent snaps will be improving his consistency when catching the ball. Teams will have limited patience for a receiver who repeatedly makes concentration drops, and his athletic traits will only earn him so many chances. That said, if he’s able to find consistency at the catch point, Williams has a high ceiling. He has a rare blend of size and athleticism for the position and he could be a starter with some development and in the right situation. At the very least, Williams’ ability as a blocker as well as the threat he poses with the ball in his hands should earn him a roster spot. He might have to make his living as a special teams player and gadget receiver while his hands develop, but the potential reward is there if a team can unlock it.

The Steelers have shown interest in Williams, with a reported top-30 visit as well as wide receiver coach Zach Azzanni visiting his pro day. I’ll admit, before D.K. Metcalf was on the roster I would’ve been completely against drafting a project like Williams, but now I can see the vision a bit more: Williams wouldn't be forced into a starting role behind Metcalf and Pickens, being able to play to his strengths and develop behind two other physical freaks who have found NFL success.

However, if Pittsburgh does end up landing Aaron Rodgers, an unreliable receiver like Williams who is still a raw route-runner is probably not going to be the ideal target for the veteran quarterback. I think there are much more polished receivers the Steelers could be targeting in the middle rounds.

But there is a chance that Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith sees Williams as a younger, more athletic version of what Cordarrelle Patterson was last year for the team. That could be an intriguing fit, even if Williams’ current draft projection would make him a high pick for a developmental depth running back.

TL;DR: Williams is a developmental receiver who largely operated in a gadget role in college. His size and athleticism give him elite upside, but wildly inconsistent ball skills and route-running make him a risky selection.

What are your thoughts on TCU wide receiver Savion Williams? And which draft prospects would you like to see profiled next? Let us know in the comments below!