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Jacksonville Jaguars rookie pass catcher CJ Williams traveled a bit of a winding road during his collegiate career.
He was originally a 4-star rated, Top 100 recruit and verbally committed to Notre Dame before flipping to USC where he attended his freshman season. He appeared in 11 games for the Trojans, recording four catches for 34 yards.
Then he ventured to Wisconsin, where he never fully got his footing. Through two seasons he recorded 31 catches for 396 yards and two touchdowns, appearing in 25 games.
Training Camp Preview: Questions on Travis Hunter, Brian Thomas Jr. as Jacksonville Jaguars report for camp
It was his time at Stanford during his final collegiate season that put him on the map and impressed the Jaguars enough to select him on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Williams had a breakout season, logging career highs in catches (59), yards (749) and touchdowns (6) as he emerged as the top passing target of the Cardinal.
It allowed him to shine and earn an All-ACC honorable mention nod and team offensive MVP honors for the 2025 season. He ranked top 10 in the conference for receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards as he boosted his draft stock.
The biggest thing he gained at Stanford was a pro-style culture. Being coached by a former NFL coach in Frank Reich, and with Andrew Luck as general manager, the Cardinal carried themselves as professionals.
“The way that we treated things was you’ve got to be on your best type of timing, I guess you could say,” Williams said of the Stanford culture. “You’ve got to be on your best pro behavior every single day. You’ve got to come into the facility ready to work."
Williams was drafted in in the sixth round, No. 203 overall by the Jaguars in April. It was a nerve wrecking wait as he watched other receivers get drafted ahead of him and worried about when he’d get the phone call that determined his future.
But when his phone rang and it was Jacksonville, he wasn’t surprised. He said he suspected that the Jaguars were interested in him despite never having a direct conversation with him.
General manager James Gladstone jokingly said he thought he kept the interest pretty close to the vest but praised Williams for his willingness to block and ability to attack the football.
The rookie pass catcher already displayed some of those traits during offseason workouts as he routinely made plays.
“I think he leads the team in receptions right now,” head coach Liam Coen said of Williams earlier in the offseason. “He's getting a lot of reps mixing in with a couple different groups, but you talk about what's the job for a receiver is to get open and catch the ball and he just kind of does that.”
As wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. shined with the starting group, Williams made his own splash with the reserves. There was a stretch during the media available practices where Williams made impressive catches in consecutive practices.
Some were highlight type snags against defenders, others, he was in the right place to secure a chain-moving reception. In both instances it’s a good sign to have already made a noticeable impact before the team heads into training camp.
“He comes in day-in and day-out and he puts a lot into it. He’s one of the last guys to leave the building,” receivers coach Edgar Bennet said. “He really puts a lot into it. He wants to succeed at this level and be the best version of himself.”
Shortly after being drafted, Williams joined a teleconference call with local reporters for a short interview. He was put through the typical questionnaire used to try to figure out what type of player is coming to town.
One of the questions he fielded was if he models his game after any NFL receivers or if there were any players who he admires.
He immediately shouted out his new teammates. The easy answer would’ve been to mention Travis Hunter or Brian Thomas Jr. as they’re two of the popular receivers for the team. And to his credit, he did mention Thomas.
But Williams gave in depth kudos to Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers, noting he loves the way both of them play. He talked about their consistency, intent and physicality they play with. It’s something that he feels he can add to the team as he enters his rookie season.
“I just want to be a complete guy that competes and adds to the room in whatever way possible,” Williams said. “Whether it’s just first year playing special teams, whether it's doing whatever, competing every single day, and just bringing a competitive swagger is the way I like to view it.”
Williams is joining a loaded position group. Receiver is one of the deepest rooms on the roster, but there’s potential for Williams to crack the rotation early. It’s projected that Hunter will be spending most of his snaps on the defensive side of the ball.
While he’ll still be featured on offense, it won’t be as frequent as his rookie season. That means, essentially, the fourth receiver spot is open for the taking. Granted, the number of competitors are many and range from veteran pass catchers to newcomers alike.
However, Williams has a leg up thanks to how quickly he took to the offseason program. It’s a good sign as training camp nears and he gets more opportunities to show his skillset.
“When you’re going out and making some great plays now, it’s only going to help you as you move forward as far as confidence,” Bennett said. “I understand this fundamental or this technique, my alignment and assignment. Now I can just focus on pre-snap, post-snap, the technique that I’m using and all these little things as we move forward.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Here's how Jaguars WR CJ Williams can earn playing time as a rookie
Continue reading...
He was originally a 4-star rated, Top 100 recruit and verbally committed to Notre Dame before flipping to USC where he attended his freshman season. He appeared in 11 games for the Trojans, recording four catches for 34 yards.
Then he ventured to Wisconsin, where he never fully got his footing. Through two seasons he recorded 31 catches for 396 yards and two touchdowns, appearing in 25 games.
Training Camp Preview: Questions on Travis Hunter, Brian Thomas Jr. as Jacksonville Jaguars report for camp
It was his time at Stanford during his final collegiate season that put him on the map and impressed the Jaguars enough to select him on Day 3 of the 2026 NFL Draft. Williams had a breakout season, logging career highs in catches (59), yards (749) and touchdowns (6) as he emerged as the top passing target of the Cardinal.
It allowed him to shine and earn an All-ACC honorable mention nod and team offensive MVP honors for the 2025 season. He ranked top 10 in the conference for receiving touchdowns, receptions and receiving yards as he boosted his draft stock.
The biggest thing he gained at Stanford was a pro-style culture. Being coached by a former NFL coach in Frank Reich, and with Andrew Luck as general manager, the Cardinal carried themselves as professionals.
“The way that we treated things was you’ve got to be on your best type of timing, I guess you could say,” Williams said of the Stanford culture. “You’ve got to be on your best pro behavior every single day. You’ve got to come into the facility ready to work."
CJ Williams earns praise from coaching staff as rookie receiver
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Williams was drafted in in the sixth round, No. 203 overall by the Jaguars in April. It was a nerve wrecking wait as he watched other receivers get drafted ahead of him and worried about when he’d get the phone call that determined his future.
But when his phone rang and it was Jacksonville, he wasn’t surprised. He said he suspected that the Jaguars were interested in him despite never having a direct conversation with him.
General manager James Gladstone jokingly said he thought he kept the interest pretty close to the vest but praised Williams for his willingness to block and ability to attack the football.
The rookie pass catcher already displayed some of those traits during offseason workouts as he routinely made plays.
“I think he leads the team in receptions right now,” head coach Liam Coen said of Williams earlier in the offseason. “He's getting a lot of reps mixing in with a couple different groups, but you talk about what's the job for a receiver is to get open and catch the ball and he just kind of does that.”
As wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. shined with the starting group, Williams made his own splash with the reserves. There was a stretch during the media available practices where Williams made impressive catches in consecutive practices.
Some were highlight type snags against defenders, others, he was in the right place to secure a chain-moving reception. In both instances it’s a good sign to have already made a noticeable impact before the team heads into training camp.
“He comes in day-in and day-out and he puts a lot into it. He’s one of the last guys to leave the building,” receivers coach Edgar Bennet said. “He really puts a lot into it. He wants to succeed at this level and be the best version of himself.”
CJ Williams has modeled his game after two of his Jaguars teammates
You must be registered for see images
Shortly after being drafted, Williams joined a teleconference call with local reporters for a short interview. He was put through the typical questionnaire used to try to figure out what type of player is coming to town.
One of the questions he fielded was if he models his game after any NFL receivers or if there were any players who he admires.
He immediately shouted out his new teammates. The easy answer would’ve been to mention Travis Hunter or Brian Thomas Jr. as they’re two of the popular receivers for the team. And to his credit, he did mention Thomas.
But Williams gave in depth kudos to Parker Washington and Jakobi Meyers, noting he loves the way both of them play. He talked about their consistency, intent and physicality they play with. It’s something that he feels he can add to the team as he enters his rookie season.
“I just want to be a complete guy that competes and adds to the room in whatever way possible,” Williams said. “Whether it’s just first year playing special teams, whether it's doing whatever, competing every single day, and just bringing a competitive swagger is the way I like to view it.”
Williams is joining a loaded position group. Receiver is one of the deepest rooms on the roster, but there’s potential for Williams to crack the rotation early. It’s projected that Hunter will be spending most of his snaps on the defensive side of the ball.
While he’ll still be featured on offense, it won’t be as frequent as his rookie season. That means, essentially, the fourth receiver spot is open for the taking. Granted, the number of competitors are many and range from veteran pass catchers to newcomers alike.
However, Williams has a leg up thanks to how quickly he took to the offseason program. It’s a good sign as training camp nears and he gets more opportunities to show his skillset.
“When you’re going out and making some great plays now, it’s only going to help you as you move forward as far as confidence,” Bennett said. “I understand this fundamental or this technique, my alignment and assignment. Now I can just focus on pre-snap, post-snap, the technique that I’m using and all these little things as we move forward.”
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Here's how Jaguars WR CJ Williams can earn playing time as a rookie
Continue reading...
