Sleeper of the YEAR for the 2010 Draft!

      Mike Williams WR Syracuse

      Every year there are a handful of players who come out of nowhere to become legitimate NFL Draft prospects when April rolls around. Last year, Baylor offensive tackle Jason Smith was unknown by many casual draft fans before he elevated his stock so high that he ended up going second overall. The same can be said for a player like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie from Tennessee State who had his coming out party at the Senior Bowl.
       This year, a player who I think could see his draft stock rise quickly is Syracuse wide receiver Mike Williams. A senior who was suspended from the school after the 2008 spring semester over academic issues, Willams attended a junior college in Massachusetts as a junior and he was re-instated by the university in January. As a sophomore in 2007, Williams caught 60 passes for 837 yards and 10 touchdowns after having recorded 461 yards and four touchdowns on 24 receptions as a freshman. In 2007 he caught a touchdown in nine straight games, setting a Syracuse record.
       Williams has the talent to be an elite receiver in college football. He’s very fast with an excellent combination of size and athleticism. He has soft hands and is capable of making the acrobatic catch. Williams has an excellent vertical and he’s capable of climbing the ladder to go up and grab a pass out of the air. Having sat out last season, he has been a bit rusty to start the year, however as he showed against Northwestern this past Saturday, as he gains experience he should develop as a player. One other thing that has set him back a bit is the Orange’s quarterback situation. With Greg Paulus as the starting signal caller, an athlete who hasn’t played football since his senior year in high school, Williams hasn’t received quite as many targets as a player of his talent should. In his first three games of the season, Williams has recorded 23 catches for 357 yards and three touchdowns. These stats, thanks much in part to his outstanding performance this past Saturday against the Northwestern Wildcats that saw him catch 11 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns. Williams had his coming-out game this past weekend. Expect to see his stock take a rise as the season progresses.
       A former two-star receiver coming out of high school, Williams was rated as the No. 10 player in the state of New York when he committed to Syracuse. The senior has spent the majority of his college career being overshadowed by more well-known players and by the fact that Syracuse has gone 6-18 in the games in which Williams has played in coming into the year. However, give him a quarterback that has an NFL-type throwing arm, and Williams could be a dangerous player.
       At this point, I have Williams rated below Eric Decker of Minnesota, Mardy Gilyard of Cincinnati, and Brandon LaFell of LSU. While many other experts won’t agree with these rankings, all I have to do is point you here to show how accurate my rankings and analysis have been. It’s extremely early in the draft process and I can almost guarantee that these rankings will change, but at this point in the draft process, these are how I see the players. If you have a chance, keep an eye on Williams. He’s a serious candidate to blow up in offseason workouts.
While many draft outlets and experts don’t even have Williams on their radar yet, remember where you heard of Mike Williams, here at Draft Headquarters. He has a chance to be a star at the next level.

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