Jameson Williams: 'I See Myself Being a Big Part of This Offense'

New Detroit Lions wideout Jameson Williams spoke with reporters following his blockbuster draft-day trade.

The blazing speed of Jameson Williams made him a wide receiver worth trading up for by the Detroit Lions.

Swapping picks with the Minnesota Vikings, general manager Brad Holmes moved the Lions up to select the talented Alabama wideout.

Despite the elite skill set that Williams possesses, there is still a concern that supporters need to monitor early in his career. The 21-year-old wideout is presently recovering from an ACL tear, which he suffered in the national championship game.

Speaking with the media after being selected, Williams said his recovery timeline is uncertain.

“The timeline, I don’t really have one,” Williams said. “I’m hoping to be ready for training camp.”

The Lions have made a concerted effort to upgrade the receiver position this offseason, re-signing Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond, along with adding DJ Chark in free agency.

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Gary Cosby Jr., USA TODAY NETWORK

Now, in Williams, the team has found its big-play threat.

“I see myself as being a big part of this offense,” Williams said. “Obviously, they took a chance on me. They have the faith that we can do big things, and I’m just here to show my play-making ability. We can change things around for sure.”

The Lions coaching staff is excited about adding him, as his speed makes him able to do several things that could make the offense dangerous.

“I think teams, when (Williams) gets healthy, they realize where he’s at on the field,” Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson expressed. “And, that’s what we’re excited about, because that’s gonna do nothing but open up our run game and the opportunity for all of our other skilled players. So, this is a guy that can stretch the field deep without any sweat. He is electric, he’s got juice. Once he gets healthy, we’re gonna have something to cook with.”

Though the injury is concerning, his production in 2021 made him worthy of a high pick. After transferring from Ohio State, Williams caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 scores with the Crimson Tide. NFL Network described him as having “ludicrous speed.”

The decision to transfer from Ohio State after two seasons was a result of a loaded receivers room. Two of his ex-Buckeyes teammates, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave, were also selected in the first round Thursday night.

“We always knew we had the talent,” Williams said. “We always competed every day. Coming in, we always knew, just how we play, how our talent was, basically just how good we were. So, we competed with each other, got each other better over the years that we were together.”

Once he’s healthy, he’s expected to take the top off defenses as a deep threat. And, his speed and physicality should translate well to the next level. 

Williams, for one, believes he can be "a big-play threat in the NFL." 

“He shows up on offense, making plays left and right,” Johnson said. “He’s running routes full speed, whether he’s involved with a play or not. But, then you turn on the next clip and all of a sudden, it’s a special teams clip where he is an absolute animal. He just loves the game, and that’s what we’re looking (to bring) into this building are passionate guys.”

During the pre-draft process, Williams said he wasn’t closely communicating with the Lions. However, their decision to trade up for him showed their overall interest.

Additionally, he believed he would’ve been the top receiver selected, had he not been injured in Alabama’s season finale. Instead, he was the fourth wideout selected, behind USC’s Drake London, as well as Wilson and Olave.

“Yeah, but nothing we could do about that,” Williams said. “Now, I’m here in Detroit, (as the) 12th pick. I’m happy.”

Moving forward, a healthy Williams could give Detroit its most dynamic offense in years. 

“(Williams) has that kind of game-changing ability,” Johnson said. “I don’t know how much the ACL really affected his draft stock, but I do know that he’s a top-tier talent in this draft.”