Could former Clemson wide receiver Antonio Williams take home a major NFL award at the end of his first season in the league?

ESPN believes it’s within the realm of possibility.

ESPN’s Ben Solak made 10 “bold preseason predictions” ahead of the 2026 NFL campaign, and one of those is that Williams will win Offensive Rookie of the Year.

After being selected by the Washington Commanders in the third round of April’s NFL Draft with the No. 71 overall pick, Williams is expected to compete for playing time right away in the slot. The two-time All-ACC selection has a strong chance to be an instant-impact pro and a reliable, go-target for Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Williams is a longer shot to win Offensive Rookie of the Year with +3000 odds, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Arizona Cardinals running back Jeremiyah Love and Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Fernando Mendoza are the co-favorites, both sitting at +430 odds.

Here’s some of what Solak wrote regarding his bold prediction for Williams to win the prestigious award:

Who? Williams was the 71st pick of the 2026 draft and the ninth receiver off the board. Although receivers have recently won this award more frequently, we haven’t seen late-drafted players break into the ranks. Even Puka Nacua’s 105 receptions for 1,486 yards weren’t enough to beat C.J. Stroud’s strong rookie season in 2023. The latest-drafted receiver to win Rookie of the Year was Anquan Boldin in 2003 — the 54th pick was a unanimous selection.

It’ll take a down year for a late-drafted WR to win this award, but this looks like a down year. … But Williams has an opportunity that stacks up against many of his early-drafted contemporaries. There is hardly any competition in the Commanders’ receivers room behind Terry McLaurin. Williams will catch passes from Jayden Daniels, a remarkably better quarterback than players such as KC Concepcion and Denzel Boston (Browns) or Omar Cooper Jr. (Jets) will work with in 2026. Williams still needs to dodge the late-summer addition of a Brandon Aiyuk or Stefon Diggs, but his path to high-quality targets is shockingly clear for a third-round pick.

Williams is also a hand-in-glove fit for David Blough’s Detroit-inspired offense. Williams is an easy glider who makes fearless catches over the middle of the field. He dramatically improved his drop rate in 2025 and has that knack for QB friendliness: smart routes, good adjustments to bad balls, inside/out versatility and YAC ability. He is evidently cut from the Amon-Ra St. Brown cloth, and St. Brown’s reliability helped him break into the Lions’ starting lineup as a fourth-round rookie.

Williams had 300 fewer receiving yards and 20 fewer receptions in 2025 compared with 2024. But that decline was a reflection of a larger offensive issue at Clemson — not any deterioration in his individual play. If the Commanders suddenly need to funnel six-plus targets per game his way, he has the deep tool kit and reliable play style to sustain that volume. There are few middle-round rookies for whom I have rosier Year 1 projections than Williams.

Williams recorded 2,336 yards and 21 touchdowns on 208 career receptions over 43 games (38 starts) from 2022-25. He exited Clemson ranked fourth in school history in career receptions and tied with Mike Williams for the fourth-most career touchdown receptions in school history.

In 2025, Williams caught 55 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns over 10 games. The 5-foot-11, 195-pounder also rushed 13 times for 78 yards and a touchdown, completed a 75-yard touchdown pass and gained 44 yards on four punt returns en route to third-team All-ACC honors.

Third-year Commanders head coach Dan Quinn has been highly complimentary of Williams, praising his natural feel for the receiver position and route-running ability, as well as multiple other facets of his game and attributes he possesses.

“I think one thing that you say, right off the bat, like man, this guy has feel,” Quinn said in May. “He knows when to stop, he knows how to adjust – he just has awareness already as like a big-time receiver. He’s got great hands, great movements to go. He’s off to a hell of a start. … He has definitely been one [of the rookies] that has absolutely jumped out. He’s got real skill about him. So, yeah, we’re really pumped about Antonio.”

“I think when everybody sees him as the route-runner, you’re going to see him absolutely be able to break people off his option routes, in-breaking routes, out-breaking routes – all the different elements that go along with that as a route-runner,” Quinn added. “He can stop, he can change directions, explosive. Those are a few of the things that jump out to us. But it’s just the feel. It’s not just a height, weight, speed thing – this guy’s got real natural feel as a receiver. That can be a hard thing to measure, but when you see it, you know exactly what it looks like. And Antonio has it, man, in the biggest way.”