A former five-star recruit who bounced from USC to Wisconsin to Stanford, CJ Williams landed with Jacksonville as a sixth-round pick after finally putting together a full season of production.
CJ Williams was one of the most hyped high school receivers in the country coming out of Mater Dei, but his college career took a winding path through three programs before he found his footing at Stanford in 2025. The Jaguars selected him in the sixth round of the 2026 NFL draft, betting on his size, ball skills, and late-blooming production.
Path to the league
Williams starred at Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, catching 46 passes for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior while helping the team to a national championship. He began his college career at USC before transferring to Wisconsin for two seasons and finally to Stanford for his final year. The Jaguars drafted him with the 203rd overall pick, 22nd selection of the sixth round, in the 2026 NFL draft.
Career highlights
Williams' production built steadily across three schools: 4 catches for 34 yards as a USC freshman, a combined 31 catches for 396 yards at Wisconsin, and a career-best 59 catches for 749 yards and 6 touchdowns in his lone season at Stanford. He earned Academic All-Big Ten honors at Wisconsin in 2024 and honorable mention All-ACC at Stanford in 2025.
2025 season recap
In his only season with the Cardinal, Williams started 11 of 12 games and set career highs across the board, catching 59 of 92 targets for 749 yards and 6 touchdowns, including four 100-yard receiving games. The season earned him honorable mention All-ACC recognition and made him one of Stanford's most reliable pass catchers before he declared for the 2026 draft.
Sources
- Wikipedia: CJ Williams (American football)
- ESPN: CJ Williams
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Group
- offense
- College
- Stanford
- Hometown
- Mission Viejo, CA, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
