Clemson Tigers Star Wide Receiver Declares for NFL Draft

With four Clemson Tigers already declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft and opting out of the Pinstripe Bowl, another of the program’s top players soon followed suit.

In a post made to his Instagram account, Tigers longtime wide receiver Antonio Williams declared for the 2026 NFL Draft. He has not announced whether or not he will play in the Pinstripe Bowl against Penn State on Dec. 27, but it's likely he won’t.

"To the Clemson family — One of the best decisions I ever made was committing to Clemson. I love this place, but it’s the people who truly make Clemson special. Thank you for everything." Williams wrote in his announcement.

For the past four years, one of the players who’s been the heart and soul of Clemson Football is Williams. The 5-foot-11 receiver began his career at Clemson in 2022 alongside other highly-touted players like Cade Klubnik and Adam Randall, who’ve each had their own unique stories in that time span.

Williams, a South Carolina native, was one of the best players in the country at the time, ranking as the 61st-best player in the nation and the No. 6 wideout in the nation.

His rankings lived up to the hype in his debut season, creating an instant spark in the passing game as he recorded team highs in receptions (56) and receiving yards (604) to go with four touchdowns. Williams’ true freshman campaign earned him a spot on the 2022 True Freshman All-America team.

Unfortunately, a nagging hamstring injury derailed his sophomore year as he was limited to just four regular season games, leading him to medically redshirt for the season. However, he did return for the Gator Bowl and posted five catches for 32 yards.

Coming off injury as a junior, Williams put together the best year of his Clemson career, hauling in 75 receptions for 904 yards and 11 touchdowns, earning First-Team All-ACC honors and cementing himself as one of the nation’s most productive receiving prospects

That season’s success had him firmly on the radar of NFL evaluators entering 2025.

But Clemson, and Williams himself, couldn’t replicate those eye-popping numbers this year. A hamstring injury suffered in the first quarter of the season opener against LSU cost him the first couple of games, and the Tigers’ offense never quite clicked consistently with quarterback Cade Klubnik enduring his own down year.

While his down year may have potentially caused him to slip out of the first round, he still is looked at as a borderline top-10 receiver who’s projected to be a second or third round pick.