The Washington Commanders selected Antonio Williams No. 71 overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday, making the Clemson wide receiver the fifth Tigers player taken this year. Williams came out after returning to Clemson for one more season following his junior year, and the move capped a career that turned him into one of the most productive receivers in school history.
Williams finished at Clemson with 2,336 receiving yards and 21 touchdown receptions on 208 career catches in 43 games. He also added 25 rushing attempts for 187 yards and two touchdowns, 39 career punt returns for 351 yards, and completed 4 of 4 passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns. In 2025, he became the fifth player in Clemson history to top 200 career receptions and ended his career fourth in school history with 208, while his 21 touchdown catches tied Mike Williams for fourth most.
His climb began quickly. Williams earned Freshman All-America honors in 2022 after leading Clemson in both receptions and receiving yards in his first semester on campus, and he caught a pass in each of his first 33 career games, the seventh-longest streak in school history. That early consistency set up a breakout 2024 season, when he posted career highs with 75 receptions, 904 receiving yards and 11 receiving touchdowns.
Williams did more than win on routes. He added seven carries for 101 yards and a touchdown in 2024 and went 2-for-2 passing for 62 yards and a touchdown pass, joining C.J. Spiller, Jacoby Ford and Sammy Watkins as Clemson players to record a passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in the same season. He also became the 17th player in Clemson history to reach 2,000 career receiving yards, a mark that underscored how much he carried the offense over three seasons.
The selection gives Washington a receiver with a long Clemson résumé and a rare all-purpose profile. For Clemson, it closes a draft week that sent five players off the board and leaves Williams as one of the defining pass catchers of the program’s recent run.
