Mississippi State WR Austin Williams Has the Rest of the SEC Beat in This Area
The casual football fan has probably heard a lot more about former Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith and Georgia wideout George Pickens than they have about Mississippi State's Austin Williams.
But the quietly effective Bulldogs pass-catcher has been among the most consistent players in the Southeastern Conference over his college career, and the numbers reflect that.
According to Pro Football Focus, Williams has the lowest drop rate among SEC wide receivers since 2019 (with a minimum of 100 targets). That rate stands at 0.9%, with decent bit of separation from Pickens (2.1%) and Smith (2.6%), who finish directly behind him in the category.
With this, it's easy to make the argument that Williams has some of the best hands in the SEC (and has for the past couple of years), despite the fact he hasn't experienced the same type of limelight some of the other wide receivers in the conference have over that time span.
His efforts haven't gone unnoticed by his coaches though, as he's quickly become one of the most praised players by Mississippi State Head Coach Mike Leach.
“Consistent, kind of leads the charge in consistency," Leach said of Williams. "He makes a lot of plays even if it may start out ugly he just keeps playing, keeps playing, and keeps playing hard. So then he finds his way to a lot of balls.”
Williams reeled in 52 receptions for 617 yards (11.9-yard average) with four touchdowns last season, serving as a steady target for quarterback Will Rogers within an Air Raid offense that distributes the ball to a number of receivers in every game.
