TCU wide receiver Savion Williams picked No. 87 overall by the Green Bay Packers
TCU wide receiver Savion Williams was selected with the No. 87 overall pick by the Green Bay Packers in the the third round of the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday night.
Williams shot up draft boards after the best season of his career where he showcased his versatility. The 6-foot-5 Williams caught 60 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns.
“This is a size, speed guy deluxe,” Nick Saban said during the draft. “He played wildcat quarterback a lot so he has great run after catch ability. They threw him the ball a lot but not really on passing routes down the field. You can evaluate his hands and run after catch ability, but it was hard to evaluate his route running the way they used him.
“He has great ability, so he’s going to be one of those guys that is a developmental guy and could be great some day.”
He was also TCU’s most impactful rusher with 322 yards on just 51 carries. His 6.3 yards per carry average was the highest on the team. Williams took snaps as both a running back and as a wildcat quarterback.
When Williams started getting more touches in the backfield it helped turn TCU’s season around as the Horned Frogs went 5-1 in the final six games of the regular season.
TCU head coach Sonny Dykes compared Williams to a bigger version of Washington Commanders receiver Deebo Samuel.
“There was a guy taken in the first round awhile back named Cordarrelle Patterson, that to me is the analogy when I think of Savion Williams,” ESPN draft analyst Field Yates said. “He’s a big powerful ball carrier. Not super instinctual as a wide receiver, don’t ask him to do that type of stuff.
“If you can just get him open, option him out of the backfield, this guy has some serious quick strike ability.”
Williams is just the latest TCU receiver to go high in the draft joining Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis and Jalen Raegor in the recent years. All were coached by Horned Frogs wide receivers coach Malcolm Kelly.
Williams was a four-star recruit out of Marshall, Texas in the Class of 2020. Williams opted to stay when Dykes took over for Gary Patterson in December 2021 and flourished in Dykes’ wide open offense.
He led TCU in receiving in 2023 with 41 receptions, 573 yards and four touchdowns. Williams could thrive as a jump ball receiver and getting touches with jet sweeps at the next level.
“The way this man plays with the ball in his hands, you can move him around and use him in a bunch of ways,” ESPN analyst Desmond Howard said. “I like this pick.”
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 9:35 PM.
