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Mike Williams (wide receiver, born 1994)

For other American football players, see Mike Williams § American football.

Michael K. Williams[1] (born October 4, 1994) is an American professional football wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Clemson Tigers and was selected by the Los Angeles Chargers seventh overall in the 2017 NFL draft.

Mike Williams
refer to caption
Williams with Los Angeles Chargers in 2021
No. 18 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1994-10-04) October 4, 1994 (age 30)
Holly Hill, South Carolina, U.S.
Height:6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Weight:218 lb (99 kg)
Career information
High school:Lake Marion
(Santee, South Carolina)
College:Clemson (2013–2016)
NFL draft:2017 / round: 1 / pick: 7
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of Week 11, 2024
Receptions:322
Receiving yards:5,004
Receiving touchdowns:32
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Early life

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Williams attended Lake Marion High School & Technology Center in Santee, South Carolina, where he played on the football team. He had 66 receptions for 1,296 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior, and he had 60 receptions for 1,395 yards and 10 touchdowns as a senior. Williams was rated by Rivals.com as a four-star recruit.[2] He committed to Clemson University to play college football.[3]

College career

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Williams at Clemson in 2015

Williams played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2013, making three starts. He finished with 20 receptions for 316 yards and three touchdowns.[4] Williams returned as a starter his sophomore year in 2014.[5][6][7] He finished the year with 57 receptions for 1,030 yards and six touchdowns.[8]

In 2015, in the first game of the season against the Wofford Terriers, Williams fractured a bone in his neck after colliding with the goal post just as he was catching a touchdown pass from quarterback Deshaun Watson on his team's first offensive series of the game.[9] He sat out the rest of the season and received redshirt status.[10]

In 2016 as a redshirt junior, Williams returned to his starting role and started all 15 games for Clemson, recording team highs in receptions (98), yards (1,361), and touchdowns (11).[11] He caught touchdown passes in 9 games (including 3 against rival South Carolina) and had over 100 yards receiving in 5 games. In the National Championship Game against Alabama, Williams caught eight passes for 94 yards and one touchdown. Williams completed his bachelor's degree in sociology in December 2016.[1][10]

On January 10, 2017, hours after Clemson defeated Alabama 35–31 for the national championship, Williams announced that he would forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL draft.[12]

College statistics

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Season Team GP Receiving
Rec Yds Avg TD
2013 Clemson 10 20 316 15.8 3
2014 Clemson 12 57 1,030 18.1 6
2015 Clemson 1 2 20 10.0 1
2016 Clemson 15 98 1,361 13.9 11
Total 38 177 2,727 15.4 21

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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Coming out of Clemson, Williams was considered a top prospect and projected as a first round pick by the majority of draft experts and analysts. He attended the NFL Combine, but only performed the bench press, vertical jump, and broad jump. He performed the 40-yard dash, 20-yard dash, and 10-yard dash at Clemson's Pro Day and also ran positional drills. Williams was ranked the best wide receiver in the draft by ESPN, the second best wide receiver by Pro Football Focus, the third best wide receiver by Sports Illustrated, and NFLDraftScout.com ranked him the third best wide receiver in the draft.[13][14][15]

External videos
video icon  Mike Williams' NFL Combine workout
video icon  Mike Williams' Clemson Pro Day workout
video icon  Williams's Pro Day 40-yard dash
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press Wonderlic
6 ft 3+5⁄8 in
(1.92 m) 		218 lb
(99 kg) 		33+3⁄8 in
(0.85 m) 		9+3⁄8 in
(0.24 m)		 4.54 s 1.66 s 2.58 s 32.5 in
(0.83 m)		 10 ft 1 in
(3.07 m)		 15 reps 17
All values from NFL Combine/Clemson's Pro Day[16][17][18]
External videos
video icon  Chargers select Williams seventh overall
video icon  Mike Williams' 2017 NFL Draft Profile

Los Angeles Chargers

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2017 season

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The Los Angeles Chargers selected Williams in the first round with the seventh overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft.[19] He was the second wide receiver selected (No. 5, Corey Davis) in the draft.[20] On May 11, 2017, the Chargers signed Williams to a fully guaranteed four-year, $19.74 million contract with a signing bonus of $12.50 million.[21][22]

Williams participated in rookie minicamp, but missed organized team activities and was expected to miss the start of training camp due to a mild herniated disc in his lower back.[23] On July 30, 2017, it was announced by head coach Anthony Lynn that Williams was expected to miss the entire training camp due to his back injury.[24]

He was inactive for the first six games of the regular season and made his professional regular season debut in Week 6. He made his first career reception on a 15-yard pass by quarterback Philip Rivers in the fourth quarter of their 17–16 victory at the Oakland Raiders, before being tackled by safety Karl Joseph.[25] On November 19, 2017, Williams caught a season-high five passes for 38-yard during a 54–24 victory against the Buffalo Bills in Week 11.[26] Williams was sidelined for the Chargers' Week 13 win against the Cleveland Browns after sustaining a knee injury in the first quarter of their 28–6 victory at the Dallas Cowboys the previous week.[27] He finished his rookie season in 2017 with 11 receptions for 95 yards in ten games and one start.[28]

2018 season

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In Week 2, Williams recorded his first professional touchdown in the 31–20 victory over the Bills.[29] The following week, against the Los Angeles Rams, he had four receptions for 81 receiving yards and two touchdowns.[30] In Week 15 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Williams had his best game of the season as he caught seven passes for 76 yards and two touchdowns, plus rushing for 19 yards for a touchdown. He caught a late go-ahead two-point conversion with four seconds left in a 29–28 victory despite being down 14–28 with five minutes left.[31] For his performance in Week 15, Williams was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[32] He finished the 2018 season with 43 receptions for 664 receiving yards and ten receiving touchdowns.[33]

2019 season

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In Week 9 against the Green Bay Packers, Williams caught three passes for a season-high 111 yards in the 26–11 win.[34] This was Williams' first game with at least 100 receiving yards of the season.[35] In Week 13 against the Denver Broncos, Williams caught five passes for 117 yards in the 23–20 loss.[36] Overall, in the 2019 season, Williams recorded 49 receptions for 1,001 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns.[37] He led the NFL in yards per reception with 20.4 in the 2019 season.[38]

2020 season

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On April 30, 2020, the Chargers exercised the fifth-year option on Williams' contract.[39] In Week 5 against the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football, Williams recorded five catches for 109 yards and two touchdowns during the 30–27 overtime loss.[40] In Week 16 against the Broncos, Williams recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Drew Lock on a Hail-Mary attempt with no time left in the game to secure a 19–16 win for the Chargers.[41] In the regular season finale against the Chiefs, he had six receptions for 108 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 38–21 victory.[42] Williams finished the 2020 season with 48 receptions for 756 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns in 15 games.[43]

2021 season

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In Week 3, against the Chiefs, Williams had seven receptions for 122 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 30–24 victory.[44] In Week 5, against the Browns, he had eight receptions for 165 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 47–42 victory.[45] In Week 18, against the Las Vegas Raiders, he had nine receptions for 119 receiving yards and one touchdown in the 35–32 overtime loss.[46] Williams had a breakout season in 2021, setting career highs in receptions (76), targets (129), and yards (1,146) while scoring nine touchdowns. He showed rapport with ascending Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert, particularly to start the season, totaling six receiving touchdowns and 471 receiving yards in the Chargers' first five games.[47]

On March 8, 2022, Williams signed a three-year, $60 million contract extension with the Chargers.[48]

2022 season

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In Week 2, against the Chiefs, Williams had eight receptions for 113 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 27–24 loss.[49] In Week 4, against the Houston Texans, he had seven receptions for 120 receiving yards in the 34–24 victory.[50] In the following game, against the Browns, he had ten receptions for 134 receiving yards in the 30–28 victory.[51] In Week 14, against the Miami Dolphins, he had six receptions for 116 receiving yards and one receiving touchdown in the 23–17 victory.[52] In the final three minutes of the last game of the regular season against the Denver Broncos, Williams suffered a small transverse process fracture in his back, which kept him out of the team's only post-season game, which they lost to the Jacksonville Jaguars.[53][54] Williams recorded 63 receptions for 895 receiving yards and four receiving touchdowns in 13 games in the 2022 season.[55]

2023 season

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In Week 3, against the Minnesota Vikings, Williams suffered an ACL tear in the third quarter, and was ruled out for the season.[56][57] He ended his 2023 campaign with 19 receptions for 249 yards and one touchdown, which Williams received from fellow wide receiver Keenan Allen in Week 3.[58]

On March 13, 2024, Williams was released by the Chargers.[59]

New York Jets

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On March 19, 2024, Williams signed a one-year contract with the New York Jets.[60][61] In Week 6, Williams was criticized by quarterback Aaron Rodgers for running the wrong route on a pass intended for him, which resulted in a game-clinching interception in a loss to the Buffalo Bills.[62] In nine games with the Jets, Williams finished with 12 receptions for 166 yards.[63]

Pittsburgh Steelers

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On November 5, 2024, the Jets traded Williams to the Pittsburgh Steelers in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.[64] Five days after being traded, Williams played in the Steelers' Week 10 matchup against the Washington Commanders, where he caught a 32-yard game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter as the Steelers won 28–27.[65]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Led the league
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2017 LAC 10 1 11 95 8.6 20 0 — — — — — 0 0
2018 LAC 16 5 43 664 15.4 55 10 7 28 4.0 19 1 0 0
2019 LAC 15 15 49 1,001 20.4 56 2 1 2 2.0 2 0 0 0
2020 LAC 15 11 48 756 15.8 64 5 1 1 1.0 1 0 0 0
2021 LAC 16 14 76 1,146 15.1 72 9 — — — — — 0 0
2022 LAC 13 13 63 895 14.2 55 4 — — — — — 0 0
2023 LAC 3 3 19 249 13.1 49 1 1 3 3.0 3 0 0 0
2024 NYJ 9 3 12 166 13.8 22 0 — — — — — 0 0
PIT 2 0 1 32 32.0 32 1 — — — — — 0 0
Total 99 65 322 5,004 15.5 72 32 10 34 3.4 19 1 0 0

Postseason

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Year Team Games Receiving Rushing Fumbles
GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Att Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost
2018 LAC 2 2 7 110 15.7 28 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0
2022 LAC 0 0 DNP due to injury
Total 2 2 7 110 15.7 28 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ a b "Graduation - Thursday, December 15th, 2016" (PDF). Clemson Registrar. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "Mike Williams, 2013 Wide Receiver, Clemson". Rivals.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2024. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  3. ^ Miller, Andrew (August 1, 2012). "Wide receiver Williams commits to Clemson". Post and Courier. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  4. ^ "Mike Williams 2013 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  5. ^ McGranahan, Ed (October 24, 2014). "Mike Williams emerges as Clemson's next star at WR". The State. Retrieved August 20, 2016.
  6. ^ Brenner, Aaron (October 6, 2014). "Clemson's breakout sophomore receiver sheds poor practice habits". Post and Courier. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  7. ^ Robinson, Mandrallius (October 21, 2014). "Williams emerging as strong anchor for Clemson offense". The Greenville News. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  8. ^ "Mike Williams 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  9. ^ "Mike Williams 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  10. ^ a b "Mike Williams". Clemson Tigers Athletics. Retrieved April 30, 2017.
  11. ^ "Mike Williams 2016 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  12. ^ Raynor, Grace (January 11, 2017). "Clemson wide receivers Mike Williams, Artavis Scott announce decisions to enter NFL Draft". Post and Courier. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  13. ^ "Top 32 prospects for the 2017 NFL draft". PFF.com. November 30, 2016. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  14. ^ Burke, Chris (April 24, 2017). "2017 NFL draft rankings: Top prospects by position". SI.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  15. ^ Legwold, Jeff (April 22, 2017). "Ranking 2017 draft's top 100 players". ESPN.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  16. ^ "Mike Williams Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  17. ^ "2017 Draft Scout *Mike Williams, Clemson NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  18. ^ "Mike Williams 2017 NFL Draft Profile". ESPN. Retrieved September 16, 2022.
  19. ^ Rosenthal, Gregg (April 27, 2017). "Chargers open L.A. era by picking WR Mike Williams". NFL.com.
  20. ^ "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  21. ^ "Chargers, Mike Williams agree to four-year deal". ESPN. May 11, 2017. Retrieved May 11, 2017.
  22. ^ "Mike Williams contract". spotrac.com. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  23. ^ Would, Dan (June 2, 2017). "Chargers first-round pick Mike Williams won't return till training camp at earliest". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  24. ^ Rapport, Timothy (July 30, 2017). "Mike Williams Expected to Miss Chargers Training Camp with Back Injury". Bleacher Report. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  25. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland Raiders – October 15th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
  26. ^ "Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Chargers - November 19th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  27. ^ Williams, Eric (November 23, 2017). "Chargers' Mike Williams suffers knee injury". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
  28. ^ "Mike Williams 2017 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  29. ^ "Chargers' Mike Williams: Catches first career touchdown". CBSSports.com. September 17, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  30. ^ "Chargers' Mike Williams: Snags two touchdowns despite loss". CBSSports.com. September 23, 2018. Retrieved October 9, 2018.
  31. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs - December 13th, 2018". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  32. ^ "Mike Williams, Dalvin Cook among NFL Players of the Week". NFL.com. December 19, 2018. Archived from the original on February 5, 2020.
  33. ^ "Mike Williams 2018 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  34. ^ "Green Bay Packers at Los Angeles Chargers - November 3rd, 2019". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  35. ^ "Gordon scores twice as Chargers dominate Packers 26–11". ESPN.com. Associated Press. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  36. ^ "McManus' 53-yard field goal lifts Denver past Chargers 23–20". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  37. ^ "Mike Williams 2019 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved March 3, 2020.
  38. ^ "2019 NFL Leaders and Leaderboards". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  39. ^ Borquez, Gavino (April 30, 2020). "Chargers pick up WR Mike Williams' fifth-year option". Chargers Wire. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  40. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at New Orleans Saints – October 12th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
  41. ^ "Denver Broncos at Los Angeles Chargers – December 27th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 30, 2020.
  42. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs - January 3rd, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  43. ^ "Mike Williams 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  44. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs - September 26th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  45. ^ "Cleveland Browns at Los Angeles Chargers - October 10th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  46. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders - January 9th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  47. ^ "Mike Williams 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on September 22, 2022. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  48. ^ Baca, Michael (March 8, 2022). "Chargers signing WR Mike Williams to three-year, $60 million contract". NFL.com. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  49. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Kansas City Chiefs - September 15th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  50. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans - October 2nd, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  51. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers at Cleveland Browns - October 9th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  52. ^ "Miami Dolphins at Los Angeles Chargers - December 11th, 2022". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  53. ^ "Chargers' WR Williams downgraded to out with back fracture". AP News. January 13, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  54. ^ "Chargers' Mike Williams finally addresses controversial injury that cost him playoffs". Los Angeles Times. June 15, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  55. ^ "Mike Williams 2022 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
  56. ^ "Chargers WR Williams has torn ACL, source says". ESPN.com. September 25, 2023. Retrieved September 25, 2023.
  57. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Place Mike Williams on Injured Reserve; Sign Wide Receiver Simi Fehoko". Chargers.com. September 26, 2023.
  58. ^ "Mike Williams - Los Angeles Chargers Wide Receiver". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  59. ^ "Los Angeles Chargers Part Ways with Mike Williams". Chargers.com. March 13, 2024. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  60. ^ Pullano, John (March 18, 2024). "WR Mike Williams Signs with Jets". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved March 18, 2024.
  61. ^ Mullin, Eric (March 19, 2024). "Ex-Chargers WR Mike Williams signs with Jets". NBC New York. Retrieved March 19, 2024.
  62. ^ Chiari, Mike (October 15, 2024). "Aaron Rodgers Says Mike Williams Ran Wrong Route on Late-Game INT in Bills Loss". Bleacher Report. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  63. ^ Greenberg, Ethan (November 5, 2024). "Jets Acquire 2025 5th-Round Pick from Steelers for WR Mike Williams". NewYorkJets.com. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
  64. ^ Varley, Teresa (November 5, 2024). "Steelers acquire Williams in trade". Steelers.com. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  65. ^ DeArdo, Bryan (November 11, 2024). "Steelers' Mike Williams says he never ran route that led to his game-winning TD catch". CBS Sports. Retrieved November 11, 2024.
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