Jameson Williams’ torn ACL scared off some teams. The Lions clearly weren’t one of them.
Detroit didn’t just use its first-round pick on the speedy receiver out of Alabama. It traded up to get him.
The Lions sent the Vikings the 32nd, 34th and 66th picks to go from 32nd to 12th, and landed the 6-foot-2 Williams, who went from an afterthought at Ohio State to the sport’s biggest home run hitter at Alabama.
“It showed I’m a wanted player,” Williams told Lions reporters.
During his one season in Tuscaloosa, Williams made 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns while averaging 19.9 per catch. He blew the top off of opposing defenses and took shorter passes to the house.
His talent is not in question. It’s his health that is, as well as how much he can even play this year. In March at the NFL Scouting Combine, Williams said he was ahead of schedule on a projected five- to seven-month recovery, and Thursday night told reporters he hoped to be ready by training camp.
Jameson Williams before the 2022 NFL Draft. APThe Lions are in the midst of a massive rebuild — they are 17-46 over the previous four seasons — and still don’t have a franchise quarterback. That player could arrive in next year’s draft, with top prospects C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Bryce Young of Alabama potential options.
Williams, a former track star, becomes the first receiver they have taken in the first round since Calvin Johnson (second overall) in 2007. That worked out pretty well for them. He joins Amon-Ra St. Brown atop the team’s depth chart at receiver.
Jared Goff is safe for now APWilliams seemed on his way to another monster game in the national championship, after hauling in a 40-yard catch early in the second quarter. But as he tried to make a move in the open field, he suffered a non-contact knee injury and was lost for the remainder of the game. Without Williams, Alabama fell to Georgia, 33-18, and his draft stock took a hit after the nature of the injury was revealed.
If not for getting hurt, Williams would likely have been the first receiver taken, almost a lock to go in the top 10. Instead, he was the fourth receiver to go off the board, after Drake London of USC and the Ohio State duo of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.
“They beat Georgia if he doesn’t get hurt and plays in the national championship game,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said during the telecast. “You might have to wait for him a little bit, but he is a spectacular player.”
