First snap of his first Redskins practice, Trent Williams was a step behind his fellow offensive lineman.

Literally.

"When the ball was snapped, everybody was gone," Williams said during the Redskins' May 7-9 mini-camp. "I was still in my stance."

Three weeks later, Williams has the May mini-camp and 10 OTA practices under his belt.

Any progress?

"I'm almost close to being off-sides now," Williams said, smiling. "I take a lot of caution with it. I don't want to be like I was before. That was embarrassing."

He added: "I've come a long way. There's still a long way to go, but I feel like I'm right where I need to be."

Williams joined the Redskins on April 22 as the team's first-round draft pick. He was the fourth overall selection--and with that came expectations.

Almost immediately, Williams was inserted as the Redskins' starting left tackle.

The position comes with pressure, of course. Williams is assigned with protecting Donovan McNabb's blindside against some of the league's top pass rushers.

Williams said on Wednesday that he is feeling more comfortable in the Redskins' offense and he believes he is improving every day.

Williams is working with offensive line coach Chris Foerster and coaching intern Chris Samuels to refine his technique. He is also developing a rapport with left guard Derrick Dockery.

"I just need to be consistent with my technique every play," Williams said. "The more I learn the offense, the more I feel at home using the technique I'm coached to use."

Of course, every rookie faces an adjustment to the speed of the NFL game.

As a projected starter, Williams also has to approach football as a professional.

This is his job now and there's a lot riding on his performance, even as a rookie.

"You have to do a lot of work on your own to keep your progress going," Williams said. "We're all professionals out here. Coaches aren't going to stay on you to do every little thing. I think that's the biggest change from playing in college."