The Pittsburgh Steelers feel like they are trying to sort out the middle of their offense, other than their QB headache in the 2026 offseason. The outside players are pretty clear, but inside, there’s a bit missing. And according to PFSN, Antonio Williams kind of slides into that without forcing anything.
Steelers Predicted to Land Antonio Williams as a Right Fit For Their Offense
Williams is very much a slot receiver, as he played almost all his snaps inside at Clemson, so that part is not surprising. What’s special is how he plays there. His routes aren’t rushed, and he slows things down a touch and speeds up just enough to shake someone.
It’s small, but it keeps working. You see defenders kind of lose track of him for a split second, and that’s all he needs.
This trait shows up in his scouting report on PFSN, which has graded him 85.86, while noting: “As his high volume would imply, the 5’11”, 190-pound Williams is a natural-born separator with rare throttle and angle freedom as a mover, and his lightning-level twitch aids him both as a route technician and a RAC weapon.”
“He doesn’t have the widest catch radius and does fall victim to focus drops at times, though 2025 was his best year yet at the catch point; per TruMedia, he logged just a 2.8% drop rate and a 10.27% catch rate over expectation. Durability is an ongoing concern, but Williams’ dual-sided separation and RAC framework is tried and true at the NFL level,” the report added.
That’s why PFSN’s latest mock draft by Allison Koehler pins him at No. 53 to the Steelers, which makes sense. Looking at Pittsburgh’s receiver room, DK Metcalf and Michael Pittman Jr. are expected to handle the physical things as well as the boundary. Again, what’s missing is someone inside who just keeps things on track. That is where Williams comes in.
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He gives his quarterback an easy answer when the play starts getting messy by sitting in space and keeping drives alive. It does not look like much in the moment, but it is the invisible foundation that holds the offense together, as reflected in his 80.0 score on PFSN WR Impact Metrics and 23 total career touchdowns.
Head coach Mike McCarthy’s offenses have always leaned on timing and trust. Routes need to be where they are supposed to be, when they’re supposed to be. And there’s usually a lot of value placed on receivers who can read coverage and adjust on the fly. That’s pretty much Williams’ game. So instead of needing time to learn the system, he kind of already plays in a way that fits it.
