Commanders' Antonio Williams has quite the historical overlap with Terry McLaurin, and it's a good sign
Did history just repeat itself?
Commanders' Antonio Williams has quite the historical overlap with Terry McLaurin, and it's a good sign originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . Terry McLaurin was once a third-round gem for the Commanders .
Washington got him 76th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft, and he's grown into one of the league's best wide receivers. The hope is that Antonio Williams, drafted out of Clemson, also a third-rounder, can turn out similarly. The Commanders had to go just a bit higher for Williams, 71st overall, and it could turn out to be a crucial pick.
The first reality is that it's practical. McLaurin is a bit older than you'd think, 31, and doesn't have a rising talent alongside him. Williams can be that guy.
The other truth is that if Williams had been in the draft a year earlier, he would've been picked higher. MORE: Diego Pavia, Shedeur Sanders and an NFL QB problem that goes back to Tim Tebow Most of that has nothing to do with Williams. During the 2025 college football season, he was injured almost immediately and struggled to return to full health.