Dolphins WR Preston Williams playing more like a 1st-round pick than an UDFA

Dolphins WR Preston Williams may have gone undrafted, but he’s playing like a cornerstone piece on offense early in the 2019 preseason.

The NFL draft is so strange. No matter how many hours are dedicated to the scouting process year after year, it’s inevitable that a player who goes undrafted will outperform guys at his position who were high-profile prospects and maybe even first-round picks.

It looks like this exact situation could be unfolding in Miami with Dolphins rookie WR Preston Williams.

Williams, who played his college ball at Colorado State, was viewed as a promising wideout littered with off-the-field concerns and a poor showing at his pro day. His tape told the story of a legitimate NFL receiver, but the rest of the equation came up short.

As a result, he slipped out of the draft. The Dolphins signed him as a priority free agent and through the first few weeks of training camp and Miami’s opening preseason game, he looks like he might be the steal of their draft class.

Williams put on a show against the Atlanta Falcons. He had four catches for 97 yards and earned an ‘A’ grade from NFL.com’s Bucky Brooks.

“No. 82’s impressive “toe drag swag” on an 18-yard sideline reception was a thing of beauty, and it highlighted the hand-eye coordination and dexterity that could make him a Michael Thomas-like playmaker for the Dolphins on the perimeter,” Brooks wrote.

Uh, did he say Michael Thomas? As in, the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL? As in, the most productive pass-catcher in the league the last few seasons? Yeah, that’s high praise.

It’s unlikely Williams will be that good. Not many players who’ve ever played the game can say they’ve had the kind of impact Thomas has made in New Orleans. But it does go to show how much upside Williams possesses. Even if he falls short of Thomas-like numbers, he still has the potential to be a big-time weapon for Miami who was found in the most unexpected of ways.

Only one other wide receiver, San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel, made Brooks’ list of top rookie performers in Week 1 of the NFL preseason. There was no N’Keal Harry (Patriots), no A.J. Brown (Titans), no Marquise Brown (Ravens), and the list goes on and on. Sure, some of those guys are banged up, but the point remains: Thomas isn’t wearing that badge of honor that comes along with being a draft pick like those other guys are.

And with that comes a massive chip on his shoulder he’s using as fuel so far this summer.