Former Clemson star Antonio Williams has only played in seven career games at the NFL level after being selected by the Washington Commanders in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft with the 71st overall pick.

However, it’s safe to say the rookie wide receiver has already highly impressed former NFL wide receiver and current NFL analyst Cris Collinsworth.

Collinsworth highlighted Williams during NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcast on Nov. 1, as the Commanders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 27-10 at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md.

Collinsworth offered praise for Williams, who led Washington in targets (seven) and receptions (five) while recording 54 receiving yards during the victory.

With star wideout Terry McLaurin out for the season due to a patellar tendon injury, Collinsworth noted how the Commanders wanted to make Williams a bigger part of the offense to help replace McLaurin’s production.

With McLaurin sidelined, Williams played 50 of 60 offensive snaps in the win over the Eagles, according to Pro Football Focus — more than any other Commanders receiver.

“This Antonio Williams, he has a little something to him. I think we’re going to see,” Collinsworth said. “He’s got [several] explosive plays already. He’s 220 snaps [entering the game against the Eagles]. And they definitely, the first thing that happened as soon as Terry McLaurin was injured, they started talking about how they were going to get Antonio Williams more involved. He’s a fast guy. … He’s starting to really bloom a little bit right now.”

Williams’ biggest highlight of the night was a 30-yard reception from Jayden Daniels that set up a late fourth-quarter field goal to help seal the victory.

Earlier in the game, during a drive where Williams caught three passes for 20 yards to help set up a Commanders touchdown, Collinsworth praised Williams’ route-running.

“It’s funny, you don’t see young players gliding in and out of routes,” Collinsworth said. “You know, where they understand what the defense is, they’re going to give the defense a little time to push off. But on this drive, we’ve seen Jayden Daniels find somebody he believes in and trusts what he’s doing out there.”

Explaining what he meant by “gliding in and out of routes,” Collinsworth likened Williams’ smooth route-running to that of Seattle Seahawks star Jaxon Smith-Njigba, who is regarded by many as the NFL’s top wide receiver.

“Think of JSN, right. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, what we saw a week ago, where he can kind of just stay and glide his way through the route without anything really pounding,” Collinsworth said. “There are just different styles of running those routes.”

Williams has hauled in 23 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown so far during his rookie campaign, averaging 11.3 yards per reception.

After opening eyes throughout training camp and the preseason, Williams was highly impressive throughout his NFL debut in Week 1, when he scored his first career NFL touchdown on a 1-yard reception against the Eagles, as part of a four-catch, 64-yard performance.

Williams was a two-time All-ACC selection who recorded 2,336 yards and 21 touchdowns on 208 career receptions over 43 games (38 starts) during his Clemson career 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.

Williams and the Commanders return to action Sunday when they host the Los Angeles Rams in Week 9.