There were a multitude of scenarios that could have played out for the Detroit Lions in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. Hundreds of possible outcomes that someone hinted at might happen. Not one of them featured packaging three picks together to move up 20 spots and select a wide receiver.
But that’s what the Lions did. Detroit dealt No. 32 overall, plus 34 and 66 on Friday night’s Day 2, to the Minnesota Vikings for the No. 12 pick and No. 46 on Friday. The aggressive move landed the Lions a dynamic wideout, Alabama’s Jameson Williams.
It’s a bold stroke engineered by GM Brad Holmes to seize the opportunity to land Williams. After Drake London, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave came off the board in a span of four picks between 8-11, Williams was alone on the top tier of wideouts still on the board.
Williams offers an insane amount of speed on the outside. He didn’t run during the draft season after suffering a torn ACL in January, but the Alabama program clocked him using GPS technology at over 23 MPH last season. He consistently ran away from defenders both on vertical routes and with the ball in his hands after the catch on a short pass. He is the home run hitter offensive coordinator Ben Johnson longed for at the NFL scouting combine.
The ACL injury curbs the instant enthusiasm a little. Williams almost certainly won’t be ready for Week 1, though updates on his recovery place him back on the field potentially by October. The Lions would be smart to not rush him back, but it’s a very exciting addition to the offense.
One of the goals for the Lions in 2022 is to determine if Jared Goff is the long-term quarterback or not. Adding Williams to a mix that already features Amon-Ra St. Brown, T.J. Hockenson, Josh Reynolds, a very good offensive line and a strong run game. If Goff can’t thrive with that, he’s not the answer.
That is one reason to really love the move from a Detroit standpoint–it allows the Lions to truly know what they’ve got in Goff. And if he’s not the answer, the team is loaded and ready for his successor.
The price for moving up is a huge win. It’s a big net win on the trade value chart, but moreover, it’s a premium talent that wasn’t going to be available at 32. And it removes a premium asset from a division rival. Keeping both first-rounders next year is a major boon for Detroit.
It’s a very exciting time for the Lions.