The 25-year-old will no doubt be under the cosh again for the world champions' trip to Murrayfield but Williams believes he is up there with Robinson as one of the best players in the world at turning defence into attack.
He said: "Chris is an excellent defender and I can't recall Chris missing a tackle in any position.
"Chris is also a scintillating counter-attacker and is one of the best counter-attackers in world rugby.
"He's one of the only guys in the world you could put in the same class as Jason Robinson with the ball in his hand.
"We did see a bit of that last week when we were allowed to counter-attack a little bit more rather than when Chris was back there.
"Once or twice in the first half he was covering for a kick that he shouldn't have. I'm confident he will tackle."
Paterson insists stand-off is his favourite position but as long as Scotland turn the corner under Williams he does not mind where he plays.
"I want to be playing at Murrayfield on Saturday," he said. "I would want to play at number 10 yes. It's not a personal thing, it's about what's best for Scotland and it's about Scotland moving forward.
"It's a team game and the more you concentrate on one individual you automatically detract from the fact that it's a team game."
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