Game recognizes game.
Clemson legend and longtime NFL wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins recently showed some love to one Clemson draft prospect in a social media post.
On X (formerly Twitter), Hopkins was asked who he thinks has the most star potential, among the wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft class.
Hopkins pointed to Clemson’s Antonio Williams.
“Tough question but I like Antonio Williams out of Clemson,” Hopkins wrote.
Williams caught 55 passes for 604 yards and four touchdowns over 10 games (all starts) this past season, earning third-team All-ACC honors. He also rushed 13 times for 78 yards and a touchdown, completed a 75-yard touchdown pass and gained 44 yards on four punt returns.
A two-time All-ACC selection, Williams tallied 2,336 yards and 21 touchdowns on 208 career receptions, while rushing 25 times for 187 yards and two touchdowns across 43 games (38 starts) in his Tiger career from 2022-25. He was also credited with 39 career punt returns for 351 yards and went 4-for-4 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2025, Williams became the fifth player in Clemson history to record 200 career receptions. The Irmo, S.C., native completed his career ranked fourth in career receptions and also leaves Clemson tied for the fourth-most touchdown receptions in school history. He became the 17th player in Clemson history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards and recorded a catch in each of his first 33 career games at Clemson, the seventh-longest streak in school history.
ESPN ranks Williams as the 13th-best wide receiver in this year’s draft class. The 2026 NFL Draft is set to take place from April 23-25 in Pittsburgh.
As for Hopkins, the five-time Pro Bowler and three-time first-team All-Pro said earlier this year that he plans to play at least one more season.
Hopkins, 33 years old and a 13-year NFL veteran, is currently a free agent this offseason. He spent the 2025 season with the Baltimore Ravens after signing a one-year deal with the team last March. In 17 games with Baltimore, he hauled in 22 receptions for 330 yards and two touchdowns, averaging exactly 15.0 yards per reception – just shy of his career high of 15.9 yards per reception back in 2014, his second NFL season.
Hopkins has amassed 1,006 receptions for 13,295 yards and 85 touchdowns over 195 games during his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs and Ravens since being selected by Houston in the first round of the 2013 NFL Draft (No. 27 overall pick).
