How high is Evan Williams' ceiling?

With rookie Evan Williams emerging as a fixture in the Packers' secondary, it seems pertinent to establish what he brings to the table.

For the first month of the 2024 season, Evan Williams looked like an afterthought. The rookie safety, selected just months earlier in the fourth round, had managed just 34 total snaps on defense through the Green Bay Packers' first four games, bottoming out at a meager four plays in Week 3. Clearly behind fellow rookie Javon Bullard and ballhawking veteran Xavier McKinney on the depth chart, Williams appeared relegated to backup duty and special-teams work.

Then, everything changed.

Against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5, Green Bay began experimenting with the secondary. Bullard, a starting safety throughout September, slid into a predominantly slot role in order to allow Keisean Nixon to move to the boundary. That created an opening in the de facto starting defense alongside McKinney. The Packers didn't expect Williams to match Bullard's play in that spot, they merely hoped he could avoid enough mistakes to keep the unit afloat.

Instead, Williams unlocked the best version of Green Bay's secondary.

Almost immediately after taking over as a primary safety, Williams began to make field-tilting plays. Against the Rams, he broke up multiple passes and helped take down running back Kyren Williams for a 6-yard loss. The following week, the rookie safety delivered a "Peanut punch" forced fumble that head coach Matt LaFleur described as "clinic reel."

And though Williams' splashy plays certainly garnered attention, his down-to-down performance elevated the defense. Despite his inexperience, opposing offenses haven't had much success baiting him into moving out of position and vacating important space. More often than not, Williams knows his assignment and takes care of business.

Perhaps no moment better exemplifies this than how Williams handled Kyler Murray in Week 7. Few signal-callers in the league can threaten a defense with his legs like Murray who, among those at the position, currently ranks third in rushing yards and has the most runs of 20-plus yards. One moment of hesitation or overaggressive move by a defender can turn into a seven-point blunder.

But not, apparently, for Williams.

Facing third-and-1 and the Cardinals desperate to put together a scoring drive, Murray lined up in the shotgun with veteran running back James Conner by his side. At the snap, the entire Arizona offensive line blocked down toward the right as Conner reached the mesh point, and most of the Packers' frontline defenders reacted accordingly. However, Murray pulls the ball at the last second, leaving him with open space and a chance to gash Green Bay for a large gain.

The Cardinals have killed defenses with this type of play all season. However, Murray doesn't fool Williams, who comes off his rush and corrals the quarterback in the backfield.

The tackle for loss forced an Arizona punt. The Packers responded one play later with a 44-yard touchdown to Christian Watson, extending their lead to 24-0 and extinguishing whatever hope remained for a Cardinals comeback. Considered all together, Williams' shrewd reaction to Murray effectively ended the game.

"I come to the party with a little juice when I show up," Williams said of his playing style. "That's definitely something I take pride in, just being physical at the point of attack.

"I try to arrive with a little violence every time I show up."

This recent stretch of impressive play has flipped the narrative on Williams. At the time of the 2024 NFL Draft, the consensus pegged him as somewhere between a sixth- and seventh-round prospect. Training camp and the preseason saw Williams gradually beat out second-year pro Anthony Johnson Jr. for the third safety job, somewhat justifying the Packers' belief in him. Still, he never seriously threatened to take a starting job from McKinney or Bullard.

Granted, Williams didn't actually steal a job. He simply backfilled when Bullard started playing extensively in the slot. Regardless, Williams has not only given the Packers every reason to keep him as a starting safety, but the coaches don't truly have much of a choice. His play to date has rendered the matter moot.

All of which begs the question: What type of defensive back can Williams become and how high is his ceiling?