Back and knee injuries limited him to 11 receptions in 10 games last season Kyle Long Jersey , and a hamstring injury during OTAs this year had Williams wondering when his body would allow him to show why the Chargers selected him No. 7 overall in the 2017 draft.
Finally healthy, Williams has performed in training camp like the dominant receiver he was at Clemson.
“Not being able to do the things I’m used to doing, that was the main thing. Not being able to move how I want to move. Now I’m able to come out here and, you know, play how Mike Williams plays, so I’m feeling comfortable right now,” Williams said.
Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt had no doubts about Williams’ ability to contribute at a high level after making 98 receptions for 1,361 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Tigers’ 2016 national championship team. It was just a matter of staying on the field.
Whisenhunt pointed to the improvement Williams showed during the regular season, when he had seven catches for 62 yards in the two games against Jacksonville and Buffalo prior to sustaining the knee injury against Dallas on Thanksgiving Day.
“I think the thing with Mike that’s pretty consistent is when he gets an amount of time where he’s in a routine, he starts to get better LeSean McCoy Bills Jersey ,” Whisenhunt said.
A consistent schedule was lacking for Williams in 2017. He sustained a herniated disc in his lower back on the first day of rookie minicamp in May, an injury that kept him out of training camp last year. The progress Williams made this offseason was interrupted by a minor hamstring strain, but he recovered in time to run and lift weights every day and do yoga at least twice a week going into his first training camp.
The difference in Williams’ health has been evident. Always known as a receiver that uses his size effectively, he has been making contested catches consistently against the Chargers’ strong crop of defensive backs.
“He goes up and attacks the ball,” safety Jahleel Addae said. “That’s the biggest thing you see with him is he can use his body to shield off defenders. He can go up and grab it, and that’s something we need, for sure.”
At 6-foot-4 and 220 pounds, Williams’ physical traits could be especially valuable with tight end Hunter Henry out for the season because of a torn ACL. All but one of Henry’s 12 career touchdowns receptions have been in the red zone, with eight coming inside the 10-yard line. Getting Williams matched up on jump balls at the goal line could offset those losses.
But Whisenhunt wants Williams to be more than a red-zone specialist. Whisenhunt and wide receivers coach Phil McGeoghan have been training Williams to line up all over the field, using Keenan Allen as the model for versatility.
“He set the standard of being able to line up in different spots and be successful Myles Garrett Jersey , and that’s what we’re trying to do a little bit with Mike to create those matchups where we can use his size and hopefully those things can work out,” Whisenhunt said.
Route running is one area where Williams is already emulating Allen, citing him as an influence for his development there.
“He sets defenders up so good, it’s just good for me to come out here and learn from someone like him,” Williams said. “I take a lot from his game.”
All aspects of Williams’ improvement were evident when the Chargers scrimmaged Saturday as he made two touchdown receptions.
“The confidence comes with making plays,” Williams said.
NOTES: Defensive end Joey Bosa left practice early Tuesday because of a left foot injury.
More than three months after the NFL draft, Oakland Raiders defensive tackle Maurice Hurst is still a little bitter about how things played out.Projected to be a sure first-rounder after his final season at Michigan, Hurst wasn’t selected until the fifth round amid questions about his health stemming from a heart condition that also got him sent home from the scouting combine.
Although Hurst said he first learned of the issue during his freshman year in college, he was stunned not hearing his name called until the third day of the draft.
He’s still not fully over it.
”I don’t know if it ever goes away,” Hurst said Friday. ”It’s just something that’s always on your shoulder and something that you always have to carry with you. Just keep it there to push you harder.”
The Raiders are counting on Hurst and second-round pick P.J. Hall to improve an interior pass rush that was almost non-existent last season. Both rookies have gotten work in with the starting defense during practices and will get an extensive look when preseason games begin next week.
”They don’t want us to be rookies Reuben Foster Jersey ,” Hurst said. ”They want us to come out and play right away and play effectively, and come out and just dominate and do what they expected us to do. Just be a vital part of this defense.”
Hurst had 12 sacks in college, five coming as a senior when he was an All-American.
With the Raiders, he’ll be part of a rotation up front that includes Hall and veterans Justin Ellis and Mario Edwards. Eddie Vanderdoes, a second-round pick in 2017 who started 13 games as a rookie, is recovering from ACL surgery.
To help accelerate his growth, the Raiders have had Hurst play against starting center Rodney Hudson and guards Kelechi Osemele and Gabe Jackson. Hudson and Osemele were Pro Bowl picks last season while Jackson was an alternate in 2016.
”They throw a few crumbs every now and then,” Hurst said. ”They don’t want you to beat them every time. But they’ve been extremely helpful. Every day I get to go to work I get to play the best guys in the country. That’s only going to make you better every day.”
Hudson said Hurst’s natural instincts have made for a smooth transition.
”He’s got a lot of ability,” Hudson said. ”Smart rusher. He’s always attentive and asks questions. He’s got a lot of God-given ability. He’s quick and he uses his hands well to be so young.”
Hurst showed all of that during a pass-rush drill Friday. Paired against two offensive linemen, Hurst burst through the middle of the double-team effort and used his right hand to knock away one defender’s block attempt.
If only finding a place to live was that easy for the Raiders rookie.
Hurst admitted getting sticker shock while checking out the housing market in Northern California and joked that he might have to go back to driving for Uber Walter Payton Jersey Youth , something he did in college to earn extra money.
”It’s ridiculous,” Hurst said. ”Look here, look home, look Michigan. I’m like, `I can get a nice place over there.’ But over here you get a little box. There was one on Craigslist I saw that someone was renting out a closet for $400.”
Notes: Jackson was held out of practice for unknown reasons, one day after leaving the workout early. . Left tackle Donald Penn, who has not practiced in camp yet after having offseason foot surgery, appears close to returning. Penn has been working out with a team trainer and got work in on a blocking sled.
—
.
