Duke Williams Player Comparison

[Buffalo716]

No he isn't a borderline HoF lol

 

Boldin catches that endzone throw and others but thanks for playing

[Alphadawg7]

14 minutes ago, Mr. WEO said:

 

 

It's not as easy as that!  The Dukies are launching backdoor Duke threads almost daily!

 

Haha touche!  Ok I will actually give you that one.  But this was a clear Duke thread you chose to opt into 

[The Jokeman]

4 hours ago, BarleyNY said:

Amen.  Big, but not very athletic WR with a history of major character problems including a me-first attitude.  The sooner we can part ways with him, the better.  This is worth reading:
 

http://www.nfl.com/combine/profiles/d'haquille-williams?id=2555210

People can change https://www.sportsnet.ca/football/nfl/former-cfl-player-duke-williams-making-second-nfl-opportunity/

 

[Buffalo_Stampede]

Why are people so enamored with such a mediocre WR?

[DuckyBoys]

1 minute ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Why are people so enamored with such a mediocre WR?

 

Probably because we got used to seeing Robert Foster 5 targets 0 receptions 0 years each game  Any production is better  before that it was Zay Jones 5 targets 2 receptions 10 yards each game

[The Jokeman]

6 minutes ago, Buffalo_Stampede said:

Why are people so enamored with such a mediocre WR?

Because he was thought to be one of best WRs in college, excelled in the CFL and now trying make his way in the NFL. 

Edited January 9, 2020 by The Jokeman

[Buffalo_Stampede]

8 minutes ago, DuckyBoys said:

 

Probably because we got used to seeing Robert Foster 5 targets 0 receptions 0 years each game  Any production is better  before that it was Zay Jones 5 targets 2 receptions 10 yards each game

Robert Foster and Zay Jones have nothing at all to do with Duke Williams being very mediocre at best.

 

Edited January 9, 2020 by Buffalo_Stampede

[Nick the Greek]

9 hours ago, Rc2catch said:

I have heard about enough duke talk to make me vomit. I like the guy but let’s please stop pretending he’s some hidden gem. I can’t believe nobody has a saviorduke username yet. He’s a serviceable receiver. He will more than likely be in the running for the 4th receiver spot next season. Let this poor guys name rest in the offseason. 

Speaking of which.. what ever happened to Savior Peterman? 
 

he got laughed off the board? Or maybe he changed his name. Regardless, he needs to come back. 

[Punching Bag]

13 hours ago, JoPoy88 said:

Sooo... does the comparison stop with their draft measurables? Is there a point to this? Or just yet another passive aggressive defense of a 5th wide receiver for some reason?

 

or just another active aggressive attack on him which has been posted in many other threads?

[3rdand12]

12 hours ago, Johnny Hammersticks said:

Jeez.  People really get their feathers ruffled with these player comparisons.  I get it, OP.  Boldin is a good DW comparison (IMO also).  I’m really curious to see how his career evolves from this point.  He definitely showed me something against HOU, and I think fans have some cause for optimism here.

agreed. not the be all end all of WRs

But something to build upon.
 

[3rdand12]

9 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

Assuming Bills find a true #1 WR, Duke will be lucky to get 25 catches next year. You are not sitting a new #1, Brown, or Beasley. And there are only so many throws in a game that will also got to two tight ends and the backs. As a #4 WR he would be extremely to get 2-3 targets a game in a 5 wide set- where he would likely be one of the last options.

I just can not see Beane not adding a WR to this team. If it's a veteran, Duke might hardly ever see the field. If it's a rookie it may take some time to work him into the offense.

and yet McKenzie was on the field rather alot.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

9 hours ago, Mr. WEO said:

make it stop......

 

Alas my power hath limits

 

1 minute ago, 3rdand12 said:

and yet McKenzie was on the field rather alot.

 

I'm not sure of the point?  They love those McKenzie jet sweeps.  They have to use him on other plays or they can't sell 'em.  But McKenzie was on the field because, who else?

[Scott7975]

37 minutes ago, Nick the Greek said:

Speaking of which.. what ever happened to Savior Peterman? 
 

he got laughed off the board? Or maybe he changed his name. Regardless, he needs to come back. 

 

He has too many high level business meetings and doesn't have time to post.  Although its likely its that highfootball IQ guy is the same dude.  I recall on the other bills board there was a savioredwards and right about the time he disappeared highfootball iq appeared there as well.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Scott7975

[Mr. WEO]

4 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Alas my power hath limits

 

 

I'm not sure of the point?  They love those McKenzie jet sweeps.  They have to use him on other plays or they can't sell 'em.  But McKenzie was on the field because, who else?

 

No way!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

9 hours ago, Scott7975 said:

I think what he is saying is if he played all along the Bills would have had more production this year and possibly Duke would have played better by now. I don’t think he is saying we need a small upgrade. 

 

Or just maybe, he didn't play all along because he was struggling to learn his role on each play or with other aspects of the NFL WR role, and he played when they felt he was ready to contribute (and not before).  Maybe there's no Coaching Consipiracy to deprive the world (or at least the Bills) of Duke.

 

What I take as saying that is the part about Duke playing a significant role on the team.

 

[Scott7975]

1 minute ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Or just maybe, he didn't play all along because he was struggling to learn his role on each play or with other aspects of the NFL WR role, and he played when they felt he was ready to contribute (and not before).  Maybe there's no Coaching Consipiracy to deprive the world (or at least the Bills) of Duke.

 

What I take as saying that is the part about Duke playing a significant role on the team.

 

 

Perhaps or perhaps they just misjudged the players on the team.  It wouldn't be the first time or second time and it wont be the last.  I don't believe in conspiracy so not sure why you would say that to me... except when it comes to the Refs and the NFL behind them.

Edited January 10, 2020 by Scott7975

[3rdand12]

2 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Alas my power hath limits

 

 

I'm not sure of the point?  They love those McKenzie jet sweeps.  They have to use him on other plays or they can't sell 'em.  But McKenzie was on the field because, who else?

The point is simply. What does McD and Daboll want from their WRs ?
in that scheme run last season ?  Williams was not the best option for them. Not a knock on McK. But jet sweeps do not define a WR.
it is fair to question Coaches thinking, and fun as well : )
But we fans will never be defining the roster or know what goes on behind the scenes that effect game day roster.
Let us hope next season we never discuss the #4-5 Wrs

 because the 1-2-3 are getting all the reps and doing well with those balls. and the TEs get some nice pass catching reps

[BarleyNY]

4 hours ago, The Jokeman said:

People can change https://www.sportsnet.ca/football/nfl/former-cfl-player-duke-williams-making-second-nfl-opportunity/

 

Of course some can and do change.  Let’s hope he has. 

Edited January 10, 2020 by BarleyNY

[Ethan in Cleveland]

58 minutes ago, 3rdand12 said:

and yet McKenzie was on the field rather alot.

He is a gadget guy. Foster will be gone. They will sign or draft a #1 and my guess is Duke will make the team as #4

[Dr.Sack]

14 hours ago, LABILLBACKER said:

I can live with #5 anyday. Yes he should've secured that td better but he made great 1st down catches in that game. He should've been active all year over scrubs like Foster, McKenzie,  Roberts and Lee Smith. Hope he gets a chance.

I agree. Not really sure what the coaching staff was thinking. Outside of injury Foster never really synced with Allen like he did in 2918. Duke while raw showed he could pull in around 63% of his targets which is better than the 17% Foster managed. Both small sample sizes but it’s clear Duke can and will make more tough contested catches. 

[3rdand12]

20 hours ago, Ethan in Portland said:

He is a gadget guy. Foster will be gone. They will sign or draft a #1 and my guess is Duke will make the team as #4

Picking at 22? Seems the draft is deep for WRs. get two lol.
If Duke does not make the team? Then likely Foster and McK do not either and we have improved talent for Allen to work with. i think it is obvious i have been a Duke homer and think his ceiling has yet to be reached with Allen.

 

 The gadget stuff was fun for one season. lets move on.

 

16 hours ago, Dr.Sack said:

I agree. Not really sure what the coaching staff was thinking. Outside of injury Foster never really synced with Allen like he did in 2918. Duke while raw showed he could pull in around 63% of his targets which is better than the 17% Foster managed. Both small sample sizes but it’s clear Duke can and will make more tough contested catches. 

And he made that fine block on Singletary's biggish run.
That's worth something  for sure. He plays hard all game it seemed.

[John from Riverside]

I guess my the thing I have the most problem with is they

 

In a playoff game.......

 

Gave the most reps to a player........

 

That had been riding the bench the WHOLE YEAR.......

 

Even ahead of your regular starters.

 

I like Duke....but that should have NEVER happened.   He should have either been playing much sooner in the season or they should have been going to players that had been with Josh the whole year and using Duke in specific situations.

 

It makes me wonder what our OC was thinking.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

On 1/9/2020 at 7:14 PM, Scott7975 said:

 

Perhaps or perhaps they just misjudged the players on the team.  It wouldn't be the first time or second time and it wont be the last.  I don't believe in conspiracy so not sure why you would say that to me... except when it comes to the Refs and the NFL behind them.

 

I'm sorry I should have been more clear, I was speaking in general of the Coaching Conspiracy theorists, not to you.

Apologies!

[Hapless Bills Fan]

2 hours ago, John from Riverside said:

I guess my the thing I have the most problem with is they

 

In a playoff game.......

 

Gave the most reps to a player........

 

That had been riding the bench the WHOLE YEAR.......

 

Even ahead of your regular starters.

 

I like Duke....but that should have NEVER happened.   He should have either been playing much sooner in the season or they should have been going to players that had been with Josh the whole year and using Duke in specific situations.

 

It makes me wonder what our OC was thinking.

 

Although for perspective:

Brown played 99% of offensive snaps (typical)

Beasley played 64% (lowest since week 9; was also low vs Cleveland and Baltimore 69%), usually 80-90%

Knox played 69% (typically 72-78% except Pitts 48%)

McKensie 32% (his snaps have varied from week to week, but that's the lowest since week 7)

Kroft 24% (not atypical for him, varies from 18-32% since Cleveland)

Smith 29% (he varies wildly as well, from a low of 3% vs Baltimore to a high of 48% vs Pitt)

 

Duke Williams played 66%, so it is more than Cole Beasley but only by two snaps (56 vs 54)

 

I got nothin'.

 

But I do agree use the players that brought you here, should be the rule.  I guess "trying to change up an offense that hadn't produced enough" made it the exception?

 

I just have this feeling more self-scouting of what works and what are our strengths vs. endless film scheming of the opponents, might help.  Maybe I'm totally wrong.

[TigerJ]

Like most of those targeted by Josh Allen passes this season, Duke needs to work on his hands, while Josh needs to work on ball placement and consistency.

[Scott7975]

26 minutes ago, Hapless Bills Fan said:

 

Although for perspective:

Brown played 99% of offensive snaps (typical)

Beasley played 64% (lowest since week 9; was also low vs Cleveland and Baltimore 69%), usually 80-90%

Knox played 69% (typically 72-78% except Pitts 48%)

McKensie 32% (his snaps have varied from week to week, but that's the lowest since week 7)

Kroft 24% (not atypical for him, varies from 18-32% since Cleveland)

Smith 29% (he varies wildly as well, from a low of 3% vs Baltimore to a high of 48% vs Pitt)

 

Duke Williams played 66%, so it is more than Cole Beasley but only by two snaps (56 vs 54)

 

I got nothin'.

 

But I do agree use the players that brought you here, should be the rule.  I guess "trying to change up an offense that hadn't produced enough" made it the exception?

 

I just have this feeling more self-scouting of what works and what are our strengths vs. endless film scheming of the opponents, might help.  Maybe I'm totally wrong.

 

No problem on the other post....

 

As for the bolded... that's interesting.  Beasley lowest snap counts are in losses.  I wonder why.  Some of our wins he has had big games.  Its just some more stuff that boggles me about Daboll.  Like the play to Dimarco.  Some people blame Josh for throwing to him.  I blame Daboll for putting him on the field in 5 wide.  It makes absolutely zero sense to put out a 5 receiver set and replace your best players with your worst.

[Hapless Bills Fan]

16 minutes ago, Scott7975 said:

 

No problem on the other post....

 

As for the bolded... that's interesting.  Beasley lowest snap counts are in losses.  I wonder why.  Some of our wins he has had big games.  Its just some more stuff that boggles me about Daboll.  Like the play to Dimarco.  Some people blame Josh for throwing to him.  I blame Daboll for putting him on the field in 5 wide.  It makes absolutely zero sense to put out a 5 receiver set and replace your best players with your worst.

 

I agree with the bolded completely.  If you're going to put a player on the field in a playoff game and have him run a route, he better be someone your QB can trust to throw to.  Otherwise, what ARE you thinking as an OC and play caller?

 

I think Beasley having the lowest snap count in losses is like Josh has the lowest completion percentage in losses - it's a correlation, the cause is aggressive physical play that overwhelms our line and requires quick throws and decisions.   The quick routes to Beasley seems to get taken away by sufficiently physical play, and his best trait (the short area quickness that makes him always open, eventually, on secondary routes) becomes irrelevant if the pass rush is so overwhelming the secondary routes don't develop.....when Beasley is getting taken out, they take him out and try something else. 

 

I think.

 

Beas caught 4 of 5 targets for 44 yds, which is kind of median for him this season.

[transplantbillsfan]

I actually have been thinking more about this offseason, and even though I really want to get one of the top WRs in the draft, with the supposed depth of this draft, it's fairly likely we go DE/LB/DL to replace Shaq/LoRax/Phillips or whichever ones are gone.

 

Let's be honest, McDermott values Defense more than offense.

 

And if we wait til the 2nd round to draft a WR... well... Duke has an offseason to get hungry and work hard on his own and with Allen, there's a very good chance he's a consistent part of this offense next season.

[ALF]

I still want to see Duke next TC and preseason to compete for a 53 spot. 

[MPT]

On 1/9/2020 at 5:25 AM, Dr.Sack said:

Not a bad comparison.

 

The only difference is by age 26 Boldin had 4,605 receiving yards & 20TDS compared to Duke who has 166 receiving yards & 1TD. 
 

No problem letting Duke compete for a roster spot but I see him as a #5 at best. He gets little separation laterally forcing him to have to lay out for separation & he can’t out run the defense deep. If you could give Foster Duke’s hands & toughness you’d have a complete WR.

 

If you gave Foster Duke's hands & toughness (and height probably) you'd have a HOF'er in the making. Problem is, players don't all have the best attributes combined into perfect packages.

 

Boldin also had almost 600 targets by age 26, so it's hard to compare his 4600 yards to Duke. If you want to extrapolate based on yards/target, Duke would actually have slightly higher yards in the same number of targets.

 

I realize that his lack of speed and separation doesn't lend to a lot of targets, but it's really hard to argue with the results. When Josh throws him a good pass, he almost always catches it. Watching those two connect on critical downs in the playoff game was awesome. IMO, it was the second best offensive performance to Singletary's.

[Mountain Man]

On 1/9/2020 at 9:41 AM, Protocal69 said:

I was thinking recently who Duke Williams reminds me of and the conclusion I came up is Anquan Boldin. Im thinking if he could lose about 10-15 pounds and not lose his strength he would be close in physical stature and style of play.

 

He is how they compare:

 

 

Anquan Boldin
40 yard dash time: 4.71 4.73 seconds
Height: 6′ 1″
Weight: 216 pounds
Vertical: 33.5 inches
Broad Jump: N/A
Hand Size: 9.88"
ARM LENGTH 30.00"

 

 

DUKE WILLIAMS 
40-yard dash: 4.66 and 4.69 seconds
Height: 6′ 2″
Weight: 229 pounds
Vertical: 30 1/2 inches
Broad Jump: 9 feet, 10 inches
Hand Size: 9.25" 
ARM LENGTH 32.5 "

 

Draft Profile:

Big frame and usually plays to his size. 
Will post up cornerbacks down the field and uses his body to 
shield throws from defenders. Natural pass catcher with soft hands. 
Saw 82 percent of his catches go for first downs in 2014.
At his best in longer developing, intermediate routes. 
Does solid job of setting up routes with leverage points and head ­fakes.
Makes downfield catches with well­-timed hands to consistently pluck throws 
at the high­ point and will lay out to make the tough catch. 
Can grind out an extra couple of yards after the catch in order to get the 
first down. Has the size to help run game as a blocker if his care factor is
right.

 

As I stated above if Duke works on his body and craft in the off-season he may have a chance to increase his playing time next year

The best comp for me is Brandon Reilly. 

 

A small portion of the fan base is obsessed with him despite doing very little to merit it. 

[BeastMode54]

I love Duke Williams as much as any Bills fan, and I'd love for him to be a major player as I think he has untapped potential and never got an opportunity due to poor decision making. But my issue with him, due to no fault of his own, is that he will be 27 this upcoming year and still has to learn more about the position. I'd like him to stick around, but we still need to add a major upgrade at the position

[BarleyNY]

4 hours ago, ALF said:

I still want to see Duke next TC and preseason to compete for a 53 spot. 

That’s fair.  I just don’t want the Bills to depend on him for anything.  If he stays out of trouble and steps up his game, then that’ll be a nice bonus.  If not, then we will be covered. 

[BuffaloBill963]

On 1/9/2020 at 6:42 AM, JoPoy88 said:

Sooo... does the comparison stop with their draft measurables? Is there a point to this? Or just yet another passive aggressive defense of a 5th wide receiver for some reason?

You’re the one being passive aggressive for no reason

[Buffalo Barbarian]

He doesn't need to lose weight,he needs to work on his hands.