Clemson receiver, SC native Antonio Williams picked in third round of NFL Draft
Antonio Williams spent years making big plays in the state of South Carolina. Now he’s headed to Washington, D.C., hoping to do the same thing in the NFL.
The Washington Commanders drafted Williams No. 71 overall in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft on Friday.
He was Clemson’s fifth pick across the first three rounds of the draft, which sets a new program record.
Williams, a native of Irmo, South Carolina outside Columbia, won three state championships playing for coach Tom Knotts’ Dutch Fork High School program.
He kept it up as Clemson, where he was immediate impact player for coach Dabo Swinney’s program, won two ACC championships and emerged as one of the most productive wide receivers in program history.
Williams left Clemson with the fourth most catches in team history (208) and tied for fourth in career touchdown catches (21) while flashing his versatility as a rusher, punt returner and passer across 43 games (38 starts).
A two-time All-ACC selection who primarily played slot receiver for Clemson, Williams racked up 2,336 career receiving yards and had a career-high 904 yards as a junior for a Tigers team that reached the College Football Playoff.
That season, Williams also became the fourth player in team history to record a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown in the same season. He finished his Clemson career 4 of 4 for 143 yards and two touchdowns as a passer and averaged 7.5 per rush (25 carries) and 9.0 yards per punt return.
“Antonio has really lived like a pro, prepared like a pro, played like a pro for his last couple years,” Swinney said. “He is a highly skilled receiver. If he was 6-2, he’d be a first-round pick.”
More on Antonio Williams’ NFL selection
Williams is the first Clemson player drafted by Washington since DE K.J. Henry in 2023. He’s the first Tigers receiver drafted since 2021 (Amari Rodgers, Cornell Powell) and joins a team with a promising young QB (Jayden Daniels).
Washington made the NFC championship game during Daniels’ 2024 rookie year but regressed to 5-12 in 2025 as Daniels only appeared in seven games.
“I think that he can run the entire route tree,” Swinney said. “He’s precise in what he does. He’s tough, he’s physical, and just a very, very smart football player. He’s a high-value pick here.”
Williams watched the draft with family and friends in South Carolina. Most of his fellow Clemson wide receivers, including Bryant Wesco Jr., T.J. Moore, Tyler Brown and Tristan Smith, were in attendance, as was his position coach, Tyler Grisham.
“Clemson family, we’re going to D.C.,” Williams said in a video posted by Clemson football after his selection. “I’m truly blessed to be in this position and go to this team with all my family. .... I really think this is the right place for me, and I just appreciate y’all for taking me in these last four years. Now it’s onto the next.”
Washington general manager Adam Peters said the franchise was “really impressed” by Williams and had been scouting him for months. Peters visited Clemson during the season to speak with Swinney and Woody McCorvey about Williams and said the Commanders’ area scout “really swears by him.”
“He’s a top-notch young man,” Peters said of Williams. “... He’s an NFL route runner. ... We really like the versatility of him as well. He played a lot of inside (receiver) this year. He played outside last year. That’s really the thing that differentiated him.”
This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Clemson receiver, SC native Antonio Williams picked in third round of NFL Draft."
