The case for Jamo
The case for Jamo
By John McTaggart
SI Collects
I’ll start by saying I may be a little bias here — I live in Detroit, have my entire life ( and that’s a pretty good while now).
That said, I’m also a guy who loves the business end of the hobby, been involved in it pretty much my entire life (and that is also a pretty good while now).
So, when I spend a few hundred words here singing the praises of Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams, then you gotta believe me when I tell you it’s not entirely because he plays for the world’s greatest football team.
Nope, it’s because this guy, more than any other player in the NFL, is poised to step into the spotlight in 2024.
Is this a hot take? Probably not. Williams is on the radar of a few folks, but I’m coming at this from more of a hobby angle.
Sure, I truly believe Williams will be the most improved player in the league this season. I think a 1,000 yard campaign is a very real possibility for the third-year Lions first-rounder.
And sure, the guy is faster than all get-up, but what’s impressed most around the Lions camp this preseason has been his route running abilities, namely how improved it is.
Lions head coach, Dan Campbell told the Detroit media weeks ago, and I believe Campbell, personally.
“We’re two practices in (to OTAs) and if you said, ‘Give me one player that is the most improved from that start to finish in that time,’ and Jamo would be that guy right now,” Campbell said. “He is a man on a mission, and I’m just going to leave it at that.”
If you couple this with the fact that my beloved Lions are finally relevant in the league, and are certainly among the higher profiles teams this season — Bam! You have the makings of a breakout season.
For those of us who pay attention to the cardboard as much as the scoreboard over the course of an NFL season, this could mean Jamo takes his place among the league’s top young receivers — a place I believe he belongs — and among the top valued young receivers in the hobby.
In wide receiver terms, Williams’ cards are still relatively affordable, with PSA 10 2022 Prizm Silver rookies fetching somewhere between $80-$100. Knowing what we all know about the market nowadays, it’s very easy to conclude that should Jamo really find his groove, particularly early on in the campaign, there could vey well be opportunity for big-time growth.
Go Lions!
John McTaggart has been in the trading card industry officially since 1986 (unofficially since 1979 when he opened his first pack of Topps baseball cards) when he and his younger brother started setting up at local card shows. Since then, his passion and love for the hobby, and the business-side of the hobby, in particular, has not wained one bit. John is an award-winning sports columnist, writer and photojournalist based in Detroit, Michigan. He currently is an executive editor for a big media outlet and the proud owner of The Detroit Trading Card Company LLC. He shares his home with a wife, four adorable dachshunds, two goldfish, his beloved golf clubs, and about a million sports cards (for real) on shelves in his basement. You can contact John at info@detroittradingcardco.com