With the 12th pick in the 2022 NFL draft, the Detroit Lions select Jameson Williams, WR, Alabama.
We have an NFC North trade, with the Lions trading up from 32 to 12, and giving the Vikings the 32nd, 34th, and 66th picks. With that 12th overall pick, Detroit gets the best receiver in this class (in my opinion), and a player who, when he recovers from injury, should have a Tyreek Hill-like impact on a Lions offense in desperate need of downfield speed and separation. Williams’ recovery appears to be going well, and when you watch his tape, it’s easy to understand why Detroit would move up 20 spots for such a player.
GRADE: A+.
Mark Schofield’s scouting report:
Height: 6’1″ (59th) Weight: 179 (9th)
40-Yard Dash: N/A
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: N/A
Broad Jump: N/A
3-Cone Drill: N/A
20-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Jameson Williams starred on the football team for Cardinal Ritter College Prep High School in St. Louis in the fall, and turned his attention to the track in the spring. He caught 68 passes for 1,626 yards and 22 touchdowns as a senior, and was named an Under Armour All-American for his achievements. He also won the 300 meter hurdles in two-straight seasons, setting a state record in 2017.
A four-star prospect according to scouting services, Williams had no shortage of scholarship offers. He turned down teams like UCLA, Alabama and Oregon to start his college career at Ohio State. After playing two seasons with the Buckeyes, catching 15 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns over three years, he announced he would transfer to Alabama.
Williams was an immediate impact player for the Crimson Tide in 2021, catching 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns. He was named a First-Team All-SEC player, as well as a First-Team All-American.
Stat to Know: Williams is, at least on paper, the most explosive receiver in this class. According to Pro Football Focus charting data, he averaged 20 yards per catch this season.
Strengths: Williams is a shifty, explosive receiver with the change-of-direction skills to work himself open early in the down, the long speed to separate late in the down, and the burst to create after the catch. Williams relies on footwork and stutter-step moves to beat press-aligned defenders after the snap, and snaps off his routes well with crisp breaks and fluid movement skills.
One of the things that Williams does extremely well is transition immediately from receiver to athlete after the catch. On this play against Florida, Williams sits down in a soft spot of zone coverage, but makes an explosive transition to ball-carrier, exploding upfield for yardage after the catch:
That ability to separate early in the down, and burst away from defenders after the catch, makes him a home-run hitter even on quick game concepts:
But Williams is not a scheme-specific receiver, as his long speed and route-running skills helps him create in the downfield passing game as well. His ability to quickly change directions, and maintain speed on breaks, makes him a threat on vertical routes as well.
Weaknesses: Williams is coming off an ACL injury which he suffered in the National Championship game, but his rehabilitation looks to be progressing well and he could be on track to participate at the start of training camp.
Williams also has a thinner frame, which showed up at times against more physical cornerbacks. He will see more of that at the next level, but as we saw last year with DeVonta Smith, if you can separate early in the down, you can still operate against such cornerbacks.
Then there is the fact that Williams was stuck behind two other members of this class, Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, during his time at Ohio State and his one year of production came after a transfer. While his play on the field should speak for itself, some might wonder why he could not crack the Ohio State lineup.
Conclusion: Williams is a scheme-diverse receiver who can win early in the down, late in the down, and everywhere in the middle. His ability after the catch is going to make him a quarterback’s best friend, and when coupled with what he can do in the downfield passing game, Williams has the ability to step into an offense and provide explosiveness in the passing game from Day One.
Comparison: Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus used “a taller DeSean Jackson” as a comparison and now I cannot unsee that…