Year of the receiver

  • John Sleeper / Herald writer
  • Thursday, April 22, 2004 9:00pm
  • Sports

SEATTLE – A few days before his Stanford Cardinal was to play at Washington last season, head coach Buddy Teevens was asked how he planned to contain Huskies wideout Reggie Williams.

Teevens snorted as though the questioner had asked him to dance.

“Double him, triple him, tie him up, push him to the sidelines,” Teevens said. “We’ve talked about everything.”

They apparently didn’t talk enough. All Williams did that day was make 10 catches for 138 yards and score on TD receptions of 74 and 6 yards.

Teevens could take a little solace in knowing that his wasn’t the only secondary Williams turned into sawdust. The 6-foot-3, 223-pounder set most of Washington’s receiving records in just three seasons and declared for Saturday’s NFL draft after his junior year.

Just a few numbers: Williams’ 243 catches for 3,598 yards rank second on the Pacific-10 Conference career lists. Those numbers shattered the school records of Paul Skansi (138 receptions) and Mario Bailey (2,093 yards). Williams’ 22 TD receptions are second in the UW record books only to Bailey’s 26.

Williams spent his time at Washington as a human mismatch. His size allowed him to outjump most defenders for the ball. His speed and quickness allowed him to outrun them.

The Seattle Seahawks’ Marcus Trufant knows. Williams made his life miserable when Trufant tried to cover him as a cornerback at Washington State. In two Apple Cups against Trufant, Williams caught 23 passes for 372 yards, his highest per-catch average against any opponent.

“He’s a big guy with big-time hands, a big-time athlete,” Trufant said. “He’s one of those guys who can go up and make the big play at any time … From the get-go he was naturally gifted with the body. He can move and do anything. And on top of that, he’s just a great athlete.”

In most years, Williams would be a lock as a top-five pick in the NFL draft. Yet, in this extraordinary year of great receivers coming out of college, Williams figures to be picked just outside the top 10.

Although Williams, never one to underestimate himself, predicted he would be the top pick in the draft, he came out in the wrong year for that. In fact, Williams won’t be even the first receiver picked.

Experts say this is the deepest draft for receivers in decades, maybe ever.

Pittsburgh’s Larry Fitzgerald, Texas’ Roy Williams and LSU’s Michael Clayton figure to be snatched up before Williams. That may well place him in Buffalo, which has the 13th pick, or Tampa Bay at No. 15.

That may change, however. With USC’s Mike Williams’ draft status up the air, Reggie Williams could sneak in as high as Atlanta’s No. 8 spot.

“He’ll surprise some people, but at the same time, I think people know what he’s capable of doing,” Trufant said. “He’s going to have some big expectations on his shoulders, along with everybody else (in the receiving class). I see him coming in and wreaking havoc in the NFL. I see him being a big-time player from the jump.”

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