2022 NFL Draft recruiting rewind: Alabama's Jameson Williams to Detroit Lions

Despite tearing his ACL, Alabama's Jameson Williams remained in the conversation as the draft's top receiver

Late-season injuries during the college football postseason are the biggest fear of high-end draft prospects every year.

So, when Alabama's Jameson Williams tore his ACL in the national championship game against Georgia many assumed his stock would tumble.

Instead, he remained in contention to be the No. 1 wide receiver drafted.

Instead, the Detroit Lions traded up to No. 12 to select him as the 4th wide receiver selected on the day, ending a run of pass-catchers that included Drake London, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave.

Here's how the dynamic pass-catcher was rated coming out of Cardinal Ritter College Prep (Missouri) in the class of 2019:

247Sports

Ranking: 4-star wide receiver; Nation's No. 113 overall prospect, No. 18 wide receiver

Notable: While 247Sports will look low on Williams in the end, its evaluation of him is pretty accurate.

In its scouting report, 247 compared Williams to Will Fuller, a player he is still compared to by draft evaluators today.

Although he's developed into a more complete version of Fuller, the comparison is solid scout work. 

Rivals

Ranking:4-star prospect; Nation's No. 87 overall prospect, No. 12 wide receiver

Notable: Rivals was higher on Williams, in large part due to a surge in his ranking just before Signing Day, climbing from No. 182 to No. 87.

ESPN

Ranking: 4-star prospect; Nation's No. 103 overall prospect, No. 15 wide receiver

Notable: Williams sat between No. 87 and No. 113, a surprisingly consistent ranking for a prospect who wasn't universally viewed as a five-star prospect. 

Senior season highlights