The list of NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year favorites in 2026 features the usual suspects — the very best of the best 1st round picks — and 1 outlier.
That outlier is none other than Washington Commanders rookie wide receiver and 3rd round pick (No. 73 overall) Antonio Williams, who was placed on a list of 7 players likely to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year from Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton.
Williams was the only 3rd round pick on the list, which featured 5 1st rounders and 1 2nd round pick.
“Antonio Williams could take on a prominent role in the Commanders’ aerial attack if he turns heads in the summer,” Moton wrote. “Washington needs a young receiver to emerge as Terry McLaurin ages into his 30s … Williams had a consistent presence in Clemson’s passing attack during his four-year collegiate run. In three of his terms, he racked up at least 55 catches and 604 receiving yards. In 2024, the 5’11”, 190-pounder led the ACC with 11 touchdown receptions. In Washington, Williams could be an inside-outside receiver who sees a high target volume in a highly productive rookie campaign.”
Commanders Got Little for Massive T-Mac Contract
The problems for the Commanders at wide receiver actually start with McLaurin, who earned NFL All-Pro honors for the 1st time in 2024 with a franchise-record 13 touchdown receptions.
McLaurin held out almost the entirety of the last offseason, pushing for a contract extension that seemed like a no-brainer but didn’t get signed until shortly before the start of the regular season — a 3-year, $97 million extension.
In return, the Commanders got the worst season of McLaurin’s career. He missed a career-high 7 games due to injury and finished with career lows across the board: 38 receptions for 582 yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 games.
Beyond McLaurin — except Williams, for now — it’s a wasteland on the depth chart with the likes of Luke McCaffrey, Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown, and Jaylin Lane.
Antonio Williams Could ‘Command Targets’ in 2026
There’s a lot of faith in and outside of the Commanders’ organization that Williams will finally become the WR2 that McLaurin has been missing his entire career — and could be the key to bouncing back from a 5-12 regular season in 2025.
“There is a collection of players behind Terry McLaurin waiting for someone to break out,” ESPN’s Aaron Schatz wrote. “Is Treylon Burks ready to be a starter after three seasons of struggling in Tennessee, followed by a few notable catches in 2025 for Washington? Can Luke McCaffrey expand past the 11 catches for 203 yards and three touchdowns that he had in his second season? Or is rookie third-rounder Antonio Williams ready for the big time? The Commanders also have Jaylin Lane, who had 16 receptions for 225 yards as a rookie last season, and veteran Dyami Brown, who had 227 yards in Jacksonville in 2025.”
Williams, who led the ACC with 11 touchdown receptions in 2024, has something else in common with McLaurin — both were 3rd round picks.
Williams, 5-foot-11 and 187 pounds, was a 3-time All-ACC pick at Clemson and has the kind of speed NFL teams covet after he ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine. In 4 seasons at Clemson — including just 5 games as a sophomore — Williams had 208 receptions for 2,336 yards and 23 total touchdowns in 42 career games.
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