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Baltimore Ravens’ Player Profile: Maxx Williams

By Cole Moog

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Maxx Williams was probably my favorite selection of the entire Baltimore Ravens 2015 draft class.

In my final mock draft before the 2015 NFL Draft

, I had him going to the Ravens with their first-round selection at pick No. 26. However, he fell all the way to pick No. 55 and the Ravens could not wait any longer. They traded up to the 55th pick with the Arizona Cardinals and took Williams, right before their bitter rivals the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had pick No. 56. Because of those factors, it made Williams my favorite selection of the draft.

I am now entering my sophomore year at Mizzou and first saw Williams in the Citrus Bowl as his Minnesota Gophers took on my Missouri Tigers. He had an outstanding play in which he hurdled a Mizzou corner for a 54-yard touchdown. Here’s the play:

After that play, I instantly fell in love with his athleticism. He also showed off his athleticism at the NFL Combine. He had the best forty-yard dash, broad jump, vertical jump, and twenty-yard shuffle. I don’t buy into the combine as much as some folks do, but it does really show how athletic a player is. Obviously, when I saw the Ravens draft him, I was very excited after watching that play and all of his game film prior to the draft. Here are some of my notes that I took when watching his tape:

  • Will be talented receiving tight end at next level
  • Instant red zone threat from day one
  • Too athletic to be covered by linebackers (as we see in the 54-yard touchdown play)
  • Soft hands, rarely body catches
  • Great at finding the soft spots in zone coverage
  • Makes insane catches and not afraid to go across the middle

Of course, those were all notes on his college game tape. It is too early into training camp to tell how all of that will transfer at the next level. The biggest thing for Williams will be to learn how to block well at the NFL speed. John Harbaugh loves when his tight ends can block, which is why Crockett Gillmore saw time at the end of the year last season. At this point, it is hard to doubt Williams’ receiving capabilities, but blocking is a huge part of the Ravens run-first offense.

Reporter Turron Davenport for the Baltimore Times had this to say about Maxx Williams about his performance in the practice in M&T Bank Stadium:

I really do have high hopes for Maxx Williams, but I do think he starts out the year as the No. 2 tight end on the depth chart. I believe Gillmore is very underrated and will have a very good sophomore year. Williams will see some time, especially on 3rd down situations and will become more and more involved in the red zone as the season goes on. He may eventually pass Gillmore for the starting spot on the depth chart, but I think the silver lining is that the Ravens have two young, stud tight ends for many years to come. If Dennis Pitta does return this season, then they will have three very talented tight ends for Marc Trestman to play the match up game with.

Here’s to one day closer the football.

Next: Five Ravens Primed for Breakout Seasons

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