
The Facts: Secondary coach Jim O’Neil is prepping his position groups to play well together, with progress reports coming against a dynamic receiver corps featuring Antonio Brown. Slowing the four-time All-Pro is a badge of honor, by far the toughest assignment in the pattern. Gold stars should also go to those who stop Williams, though few are being given out early in the Raiders offseason program.
Diehards Line:
Williams was known commodity after quality time with the L.A. Chargers. He’s a big body at 6-4, 205 pounds adept plucking receptions from the sky, but there are other facets of his game Raiders defensive backs are learning about the hard way during OTAs. “Yeah,” Williams said. “Everybody thinks I can’t run.” Folks must have forgotten he ran a 4.42 40-yard dash during the 2015 pre-draft process, or that his downfield prowess comes from size over speed. According to NBCSports.com's Scott Bair, early routes had dispelled that notion. Williams and Carr have already flashed a deep connection due to speed-created separation and some solid route running. Carr and Williams have developed an early rapport from private throwing sessions with Brown and officially-sanctioned offseason program work. They’re taking another step during OTAs, where they can finally work against coverage. Williams knows that trust comes from repetition, something he’s trying to build with touch catches against teammates when nobody’s watching. Given Williams' reasonable ADP, maybe we should all pay more attention.