Thursday, March 12, 2009
There is no doubt that the trio of Derrick Williams, Deon Butler, and Jordan Norwood is the most prolific wide receiving corps in Penn State football history. All three were major contributors all four years of their career. They each arrived at Penn State in very different ways, but ended up having very successful careers and helped turn the program around.
D-Will came in as the number one overall recruit in the entire country, and shocked everyone by choosing to attend Penn State, a program that had been struggling at the time.
Deon Butler came to Penn State as a walk-on defensive back. He is now leaving Penn State as, statistically, the best wide receiver in school history.
Most people assumed that the only reason Jordan Norwood had a spot on the team was because his father was a coach. I remember working at the Lift for Life Event at Penn State during the summer of 2005, and wondering why the coaches were letting some random kid go through the drills while all the players were still competing. I found out later that the kid was actually Jordan Norwood, but if you had told me that at the time, I wouldn’t have even considered it possible that the person I was looking at was on the team. He looked like he was about 12 years old and looked like he weighed maybe 140 pounds. Then, when he first saw action on the field that fall, I just figured it was Joe being nice to Coach Norwood. But then he kept getting more and more playing time. And he kept making plays. The kid completely proved me wrong, and I’m happy he did.
I am a big fan of all three players and what they have done for Penn State. The funny thing is, all three of them are incredibly difficult to project at the next level. Nevertheless, here are my thoughts on each of them for the upcoming draft:
DERRICK WILLIAMS – It is my belief that Derrick Williams will benefit greatly by his well-known name and will be drafted much higher than he really should. Ever since he committed to Penn State as the number one recruit out of high school, he received tons of media attention. College football analysts and fans most likely assume Williams was the top playmaker for Penn State for the last four years, but Penn State fans that have seen every game know that this wasn’t exactly the case. While he was a great player and had a wonderful career, he never really did live up to the hype that surrounded him when he arrived.
POSITIVES: Overall great athlete. If you watch Derrick Williams play, there is no denying that he is a great all-around athlete. He obviously must have shown the coaches something everyday in practice, because offensively, the team always tried to design plays that would get the ball in his hands as often as possible.
He is very versatile, he can run with the ball, catch the ball, and even throw the ball. He played quarterback in high school and threw a few passes on trick plays while at Penn State. He is a very hard-worker and has great character. Probably his most underrated skill is blocking. Williams is a great blocking wide receiver, and this is something I noticed about him from day one as a freshman. He helped out the Penn State running game a lot with some key downfield blocks. He is more physical than you would expect. He was also a very clutch player throughout his career, coming up with key catches and kick/punt returns at important points in multiple games (Northwestern touchdown catch, Notre Dame punt return, etc.)
NEGATIVES: He is not a hands-catcher. He catches the ball with his body too often, and does not possess great hands, which is a big problem for an NFL receiver. Most people think he is a burner, but I’m not so sure how good his straight-line speed really is. His 40 times at the combine were horrendous, but he apparently had the flu and will run again at pro-day. Still, I expect about a mid 4.5 time out of Williams, which is not elite speed by any means.
Williams is widely regarded as a top return man. Unfortunately, in my opinion, he is not one. Every time he was back to return punts I held my breath. He never looked comfortable catching the ball, and I always expected him to fumble it. Somehow he rarely, if ever, did. However, I have a feeling his luck will run out at some point, and if he starts out as a punt return man in the NFL, it won’t be long before he loses the job. He has good moves and good instincts when it comes to finding a seam, but he simply goes down way too easily. He trips over his own feet too much, and seems to go down after minimal contact with defenders. If he was able to break through and stay on his feet, he could be a much better kick returner. This is also a problem when he gets into the open field on offense as well.
PROJECTION – I see Williams getting drafted somewhere around the fourth round. I hate to say it, but it would not surprise me if he ends up being a bust in the NFL. I’m sure a team will take him with the hope that he will be an immediate upgrade as a punt and kick returner. This will certainly help his draft stock. However, I don’t expect him to be a punt-returner for long in the NFL. He may or may not pan out as a kick returner – but will need to work in his balance. I am eager to see what he runs in his next attempt at the 40.
As a receiver, I don’t know if he has NFL caliber hands. I think he is best suited to be a slot receiver, and he had the most success at Penn State when he was used there. If a team uses him as a number 3 receiver to play the slot, I think he could be successful in that role. His work ethic, athleticism and physicality will help him for sure. A team hoping to use him as a playmaker out wide may end up being disappointed with his straight-line speed. Unfortunately, I have a feeling Williams will be drafted by a team expecting him to be something he is not. I believe he can be a solid contributor for a team, but he is not the superstar playmaker that the media has portrayed him as, and that many people perceive him to be.
