They were the two one-year wonders running on parallel tracks to crash the top 10 picks of the NFL draft. 

Then they both crashed to the turf. 

First, Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams went down with a torn ACL in the College Football Playoff national championship game on Jan. 10. Then Michigan edge-rusher David Ojabo suffered a torn Achilles at his Pro Day on March 19. Everything changed. 

While interest in Williams again is surging as he moves further away from injury, Ojabo is in danger of slipping out of the first round. The difference isn’t so much in the type of injury as much as it is in the calendar and what it means: Williams vows to be ready for Week 1, while Ojabo’s rookie season could be a wash unless he can match Rams running back Cam Akers’ expectation-shifting five-month recovery. 

The three-way race for Williams figures to shape up like this: The Chiefs’ desire to replace Tyreek Hill, the Jets and any other team who missed out when Hill was traded to the Dolphins, and AFC rivals who just want to keep the speedster away from Patrick Mahomes’ arsenal. 

“People look at Tyreek and say, ‘Oh my God, he’s so fast,’” ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller said. “He’s also versatile because you can play him inside/outside. He is very physical at the catch point. He makes 50/50 catches that 5-foot-10 guys shouldn’t make. Williams is similar in that regard. You can move him all over the formation. No one is going to be able to play man coverage against you because he is so fast.” 

Miller believes the Chiefs should “move heaven and earth” to secure Williams. Or steal a scene from “Draft Day” and write “Jameson Williams no matter what” on a Post-it note. In other words, trade up from picks No. 29 and No. 30 ahead of the Patriots (No. 21) and Bills (No. 25). Jumping the Jets — if they favor Williams over Drake London (fractured ankle in October) and Garrett Wilson at No. 10 — is a bigger investment. 

“He’s different than a lot of the fast guys that have come out in recent years in that he’s a good route runner,” Miller said. “But it’s the ability to make people miss and explode down the field. Even the play he got hurt on was a Tyreek Hill-type play.” 

Jaylen Waddle’s rookie-receiver record-setting year after an ankle injury could help Williams, who transferred from Ohio State (15 catches in two years) to Alabama (79 catches for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2021). There is “not a huge detriment” in his character, either, a scouting source said. 

Ojabo — considered a high-reward developmental project before his injury — likely will fall to sixth among edges, but possibly further given the depth of the class. He had one career tackle before his 12-sack breakthrough in 2021. 

“It’s a preference thing: Some teams that might not like one-year starters no matter how freaky they are will push him into the second round,” a scouting source said. “Before the injury, he could’ve played in special packages like how the Ravens played [Ojabo’s high school teammate] Odafe Oweh last year. He’s still a top-50 guy.” 

Two potential X factors that could lift Ojabo: Eight teams have multiple first-round picks and they “can almost afford to draft him and it’s not like your first-round pick is not going to play this year,” Miller said. The other scenario is a contender with depth or a team willing to trade from the early second round into the late first round could covet the fifth-year option on Ojabo’s contract as a way to offset a lost year of development. 

Cornerback Sidney Jones in 2017 and edge Dayo Odeyingbo in 2021 are the most recent pre-draft injuries. Both suffered torn Achilles and slipped from projected first-rounders into the second. Jones is on his third team in six seasons. Odeyingbo made little impact in 10 games after an October debut. 

“Ojabo was a top-15 pick before the injury, but most of these guys who get hurt in the pre-draft process don’t get back to where they were,’” a second scouting source said. “It is going to affect him because he’s raw. Hopefully, the year he is going to be out gives him mental reps and he can learn that way.”