Film Study: Auburn's Duke Williams about to destroy the SEC

Who would’ve thought that when Auburn University and the University of Arkansas kicked off the 2014-15 Southeastern Conference slate, we were looking at the league’s next best quarterback and wide receiver connection.

However, it wasn’t the connection we expected.

With a suspended Nick Marshall, albeit for one half, and a somewhat hobbled Sammie Coates, QB Jeremy Johnson and JUCO receiver transfer D’haquille Williams put on a show against an Arkansas defense that ended up being highly ranked by season’s end. With Johnson going 12-of-16 for 243 yards, in just two quarters, and Williams debuting to the tune of nine receptions for 154 yards, it just goes to show how great of an offensive outfit head coach Gus Malzahn was trotting out when you consider the Marshall-to-Coates connection was at the forefront of everyone’s mind as one that could find itself right back in the national title picture.

While Johnson would go on to be relegated to his normal backup status, Williams went on to lead the team in both receptions and receiving touchdowns in what many considered to be a one-and-done campaign for the talented target. But in what has become a severely underrated coup, Williams decided to forgo a potential early-round selection in the NFL Draft and return to play for what could end up being the best passing attack in the conference.

Yeah, you read that right.

The smash-mouth, two-back, between-the-tackles pounding, edge-bending rushing attack of the Auburn Tigers will now reverse course and force teams to defend all areas of the field with the conference’s best pro prospect at the QB position.

And he has a receiver who is about to blow up by being a threats in all facets of the receiving game.

Yep; just one more aspect of the Tigers’ offense that will keep defensive coordinators waking up at night in cold sweats.

While I’ve explained countless times that Malzahn’s offense is not the finesse, spread outfit that many make it out to be, I have very little doubt that he could shift his focus to the passing game to achieve the perfect balance — especially with this particular offensive unit.

I’ve already opined that Johnson has the best tools in the conference: superior accuracy, arm strength, pocket-presence and a keen understanding of defensive concepts. Now I know what some of you are thinking, “how can you derive that from a player with under three games of starting experience?”

Although Johnson isn’t the most experienced QB we’ve seen, he’s played against multiple style of defenses and has been put in a ton of different scenarios.

Auburn’s offense is aggressive in nature as it forces you to play constricted football because of its vast run concepts, however, it can be hyper-aggressive with its downfield throws, too. Marshall was a pretty good deep-ball thrower, but he lacked NFL accuracy on the deeper throws that truly show arm strength: deep-digs, comebacks, overs, corners and outs.

This is where Johnson’s arm talent will come into play as he will excel at these types of tosses, but he also has a receiver who will equally excel at running these type of routes. Whereas Marshall, who was limited in his skill set, was blessed with the vertical stylings of Coates — who wasn’t the most polished route-runner I’ve studied.

Coates showing off his vertical prowess

When Tiger fans warned me that Williams may end up being better than Coates I almost passed out with excitement as I believed Coates was either the second- or third-best receiver in the conference behind Ole Miss’ Laquon Treadwell and Alabama superstar Amari Cooper.

It didn’t take long for me to buy in once I got a chance to see what type of a skill set he was working with.

At 6’2″, 224 pounds, Williams is a scheme-specific fit for a scheme infused with West Coast principles due to his ability to sell routes. By that I mean that he makes the bottom of each route look similar, which is always what a defensive back looks for initially.

Often times WRs will stand a tad bit more upright when running in- or out-breaking routes so they can get bend during their transition phases, but no matter the player there’s usually some type of tip-off as to what route they’re on.

Williams reminds me so much of current San Francisco 49ers’ WR, and hero of the 2012 Super Bowl for the Baltimore Ravens, Anquan Boldin in just about every way imaginable: body type, athleticism, temperament and route-running ability. While Boldin was a second-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft, mostly due to his inexperience at the WR position as he began his collegiate career as a QB, he’d undoubtedly be a first-round pick in a do-over as he’s proved to be virtually unstoppable with over seven 1,000-yard receiving seasons to his credit (two coming in the past two seasons when he was 33 and 34 years old).

Both Williams and Boldin aren’t the best athletes by any stretch of the imagination, but both understand how to get open with the best of them.

This is the type of pitch and catch we will now see from Johnson and Williams: Duke stayed low in his stance to provide the impression of running a deep upfield route and then stuck his foot in the ground to change direction with some serious body control.

Williams is a creature of habit and it shows in how he stems his routes: aggressive at the bottom while selling his transitions without wasted movement.

The football world has become so caught up with the bigger, faster athletes to the point where players who excel with the technical side of the game are almost viewed as inferior.

That’s not to say Williams doesn’t add value to the vertical portion of Malzahn’s playbook; au contraire mon frère. He reportedly runs a 4.4 40-yard dash — although I believe he may test closer to the 4.5 range — and understands how to get vertical by varying his route speed.

The fact that he’s virtually unstoppable in the mid-range game lends itself to him being able to ride up on DBs and get vertical while they are thinking about the quick game. That’s not to mention it seems every DB is afraid to play press-man coverage on him as he’s just too darn strong to be dampened by a jam at the line of scrimmage.

Just look his body control in this notable play from the Tigers’ spring game; he was able to go vert while turning his body completely around for almost a jump ball-like catch over the corner.

What happens when you combine the most polished passer, perhaps, in the country with the league’s most dominant receiver (along with Treadwell), to go along with one of the most ferocious rushing attacks in existence?

A potential seat at the table of the College Football Playoffs … as long as defensive coordinator Will Muschamp and his band of brothers are able to do their part.

Is it game day, yet?