Tyrell Williams is in a good place.
The third-year Chargers receiver is coming off a season in which he finished with 1,059 yards and seven touchdowns and emerged as a breakout big-play receiver. He was one of six players with six or more catches of 40 yards or more last season, a list that also includes Odell Beckham Jr. and A.J. Green. Williams, an undrafted free agent from Western Oregon, kept telling himself the same thing all along.
"When you get an opportunity make the most of it," Williams told Sporting News. "I always try to be a big yards after the catch type guy whenever I get the ball. I just try to get upfield as quickly as I can."
Williams' career is moving fast, and he seems prepared for the big adjustments for 2017.
The Chargers' OTAs were conducted in San Diego, but training camp will be in Los Angeles, where the franchise is relocating for the 2017 season and beyond. Williams also will have a new head coach in Anthony Lynn, who takes over after Mike McCoy compiled a 27-37 record the last four seasons.
The team's receiving corps also beefed up when it selected Clemson's Mike Williams in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, a pick that should go well with Keenan Allen and Dontrelle Inman. Tyrell Williams knows he has to earn his place all over again.
MORE: Making case for Chargers as best in AFC West
For now, nothing has changed. Williams is embracing all of those changes that will come once training camp starts. He's still working on finding a place to live in Los Angeles.
"It's a bigger market and there will be more eyes on you, but you're still playing football so it won't be anything too crazy," Williams said. "I'm looking forward. A different market, and we'll be in front of some of our fans who couldn't make it down to San Diego."
Williams said Lynn made an impact with his old-school approach at OTAs. Lynn also was an undrafted free agent who played six seasons in the NFL with San Francisco and Denver. Lynn won two Super Bowls as a player in that role, and Williams felt that presence in their first conversation.
"A real firm handshake is the first thing I noticed when I introduced myself," Williams said. "It resonates with me because of the undrafted thing. He had a chip on his shoulder, blue collar, played special teams. He's going to do everything he can to make the team successful."
Williams also said the competition at receiver doesn't come with "bad blood." This is a group that works with Philip Rivers, who has four straight 4,000-yard seasons. Mike Williams played a pivotal role in Clemson's national championship last season. Allen is coming off a torn ACL, and Inman is out until training camp after undergoing core surgery. Williams said all of them have the potential to be a No. 1 receiver.
"We're trying to make each other better," Tyrell Williams said. "I feel like we're going to put up a lot of points."
For Williams, it's about building on the momentum he created the last two seasons. As a rookie, he made a statement in Week 16 with two catches for 90 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter against Kansas City. Last year, he took advantage of that opportunity to become a consistent big-play receiver. How consistent?
Williams was one of eight receivers with 19 catches of 20 yards or more last season. The others were T.Y. Hilton, Julio Jones, Antonio Brown, Amari Cooper, Beckham, Jordy Nelson and DeSean Jackson. While it might seem like an undrafted free agent from Western Oregon does not belong in the conversation, Williams doesn't see it that way.
He's in the same good place right now, even if the scenery is about to change again.
"I definitely saw myself in a position to be one of the top receivers my whole thing my whole life," Williams said. "When I played in junior high, high school I always wanted to be the best on the field. That's been my mindset all along."
