With the 84th pick in the 3rd round, the 49ers select, Wide Reciever Brandon Williams…

Height: 5-9, Weight: 180, 40 Speed: 4.51
Position: Wide Receiver, College: Wisconsin

SUMMARY
Williams was a very productive receiver and returner at Wisconsin, with many of the athletic traits necessary to overcome his lack of size. He is no doubt a smart kid who learns well when you see how sharp his routes are—he closes the cushion quickly, uses his shoulder dip to freeze the cornerback, and has a burst out of the cut to get separation consistently. On passes outside of his frame, he does a good job of reaching out and plucking the ball with his hands, but on easy passes, he will body catch and drop some passes he should catch. He is surprisingly good at avoiding the jam and getting into the route quickly. He is a very quick and elusive runner in the open field—he has the vision and instincts to find the hole, follows his blockers very well, and has the burst to get through cracks and make big plays. Obviously, the big problem is that short and thin receivers struggle to be productive NFL receivers. Overall, Williams is going to be over-looked because of his size, but will stick in the NFL and within a season or two, he will be a good No. 3 receiver and will be able to contribute as a returner. Whatever team that gets him needs to be sure not to over-use him in order for him to be a productive receiver and returner in the NFL.

STRONG POINTS
Williams is a very quick-footed receiver, who runs very sharp and precise routes—his burst out of cuts enables him to consistently get separation. He has good hands and has shown the ability to adjust to off-target passes and make tough catches in traffic consistently. He consistently has shown an ability to make catches in traffic, take hard hits right after the catch, and hold on to the ball. He is a quick and elusive runner in the open field, and consistently makes plays with the ball in his hands (both as a receiver and return man). He is a highly competitive blocker, who has shown a knack for finding a way to eliminate his man.

WEAKNESSES
Williams’s biggest weakness is his lack of size—he will struggle to stay healthy if he is over-used in the NFL. He lacks the bulk and playing strength to break tackles in the NFL, and he will struggle to gain yards after contact consistently. He has a bad habit of letting passes within his frame get into his body, and he ends up fighting the ball and dropping some easy passes. He does not consistently get down low to catch the low pass well.