Plaxico vs Mike Willimas

[Dough Boy]

This is Plaxico's 2000 Draft Profile:

Plaxico Burress | WR | Michigan St. | Big Ten
Selected by Pittsburgh Steelers in round 1, pick 8 (#8 overall)
Ht Wt 40 BP SS LS VJ BJ Grade
6'5½" 230 4.55 - - - 33 9'7" 9.24

Junior eligible. A huge target in the Herman Moore mold. Has a big frame and very long arms. Physical, athletic and confident. Lacks dynamic initial quickness, but is difficult to jam. Gets separation against the press. Creates mismatches because of his size. Longstrider with some deep acceleration. Lazy at times in his routes. Has inconsistent hands -- tends to cradle the ball into his body, but extends when he has to. Shows good concentration with defenders on him. Powerful runner. Tough to knock off his feet. Strong blocker. Has impact abilities.


Mike Williams

Official Bio College: USC Height: 6-4 1/2
Position: Wide Receiver Weight: 228
Class: Junior 40-Yard: 4.56

Strengths: Great size...Very good hands...A terror in the red zone...Has a nose for the end zone...Will out-leap and out-muscle any cornerback...Put up some huge numbers and was the star on a National Championship team.

Weaknesses: Lacks excellent pure speed...Only played two years of college football...Needs to refine his overall game...Must master the nuances of the position...Will have to shake off the rust after not playing in 2004.

Notes: Rare talent...Could be an elite NFL wideout...Tried to enter the 2004 draft after his true sophomore year on the heels of the Maurice Clarett ruling but when that was overturned he was left out in the cold...Was dominant during his short college career...Some teams may look at him as a tight end prospect because of his size and lack of top speed...Would have been a Top 15 pick in 2004 but may go even higher in 2005 since it will be a weaker class of wideouts.

Last year during his workouts, Willimas ran a 4.56 forty and Plaxico ran a 4.55 forty. The odd thing that I hear around the league is how Plaxico is such a great deep threat. Its not the speed that makes him a deep threat. Its his size. If you are unable to jam a receiver at the line, most WR can run by you.

I was not a fan of taking a WR at 11, but if Williams or Edwards are still on the board, it is at least worth a conversation. Plaxico and Williams are clones. Even if Williams doesn't run a 4.4 forty, he still may be gone at 11. Plaxico didn't run and still doesn't run a 4.4 forty and he has had a pretty good career.

 

[Roughneck]

The main difference I see between the two is that Mike Williams catches almost everything thrown in his direction while "Plexiglass" drops balls on a regular basis.

 

[dbair1967]

The main difference I see between the two is that Mike Williams catches almost everything thrown in his direction while "Plexiglass" drops balls on a regular basis.

the other big difference is Plexistupid has a rep as a cancer, MW doesnt...

there is no way I'd sign Burress

David

 

[Dough Boy]

the other big difference is Plexistupid has a rep as a cancer, MW doesnt...

there is no way I'd sign Burress

David

I'm not advicating the signing of Burress. This thread is about M. Williams. I did a poor job of making my point. Sorry Guys. Here goes.

Plaxico is considered a deep threat. Look at his combine time. Its close to what Williams ran last year. I think Willimas can be just as effective if not more so than Plax.

This thread is about the possiblity of Drafting Williams at 11. I was all for taking Defensive players with the 1st three backs. Now, I'm open to debate.

 

[jcollins28]

Plax did not run at the combine. Although some people say he is slow he does in fact have a good speed. He is faster then Randle El. The problem with Plax is in between the ears. Otherwise he could be a "elite" type of W/R.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Plax did not run at the combine. Although some people say he is slow he does in fact have a good speed. He is faster then Randle El. The problem with Plax is in between the ears. Otherwise he could be a "elite" type of W/R.

I have never seen an official time for Palaxico Burress. I don't know if 4.5 is right or 5.4. Having said that, I would take Williams. Younger, comparable size at 19 or 20 years of age. Better hands IMO and probably better cap situation.

 

[joseephuss]

Plaxico looks smaller than 230 to me. Mike Williams looked to have a more solid build than Plaxico, but then again, I haven't seen him play in a year.

 

[ghst187]

I remember seeing Plax play at Mich St and no doubt he was a pretty game-altering character but IMO Williams is much more polished than Plax was coming out. Plax was very undisciplined and kinda raw at Mich St. I think MW has had much better coaching in college and will be more NFL-ready than Plax was if the year off didn't hurt him too badly. Remember it took Plax quite a while to come into his own in the league.
Also, MW has MUCH better hands than Plax and goes and gets the ball better over CBs, esp in the redzone.
I think MW can be a Detroit WR Roy Williams-type his rookie year if he plays where there is a decent offensive coach and QB. In fact, given the right system I think MW could very well challenge for offensive ROY.
If the Bears don't draft him at 4 (I think is where they're picking) then I think we'd be dumb not to explore trading up a few spots to get him. Other than MW, I don't think there is a player worth trading up to get in the first. In fact, I'll be surprised if we don't trade down a bit and still get the players we want.
Bottomline: I think MW could be the real deal and most impacting player out of this draft.