Somewhat lost in the shuffle of the Detroit Lions ascent into being a Super Bowl contender is the looming emergence of wideout Jameson Williams. While the franchise has enjoyed a stellar run at the NFL Draft in recent years bringing in the likes of Penei Sewell, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Aidan Hutchinson, Jahmyr Gibbs, Sam LaPorta, and others, Williams -- the No. 12 pick in 2022 -- has yet to put himself on the map.
The Alabama product oozes the talent that could make him one of the best wideouts in the league, but it's been shaky first few years in the NFL. He was initially slowed as he recovered from a torn ACL he suffered in college, which limited him to six games as a rookie. Then, he missed the first month of last season due to a gambling suspension. Upon his return, Williams flashed his prowess as a deep threat, but has yet to live up to that first-round billing.
With all that now behind him, there's hope that Williams is on his way to a Year 3 breakout, especially as he starts to turn heads at Lions training camp.
"Yeah, we started feeling it towards the end of last year and he's taken that to another level in the springtime and so far here in training camp," said offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, via the official team website. "He prides himself on bringing some juice to the offense and we certainly feel it out there both in the passing game, making explosive plays, but he also wants to be a dynamic blocker as well, which we really value."
Specifically, Williams' expanded route tree has been something that has impressed this summer.
"I haven't seen anything that he can't do so it's been fun," said Johnson.
If Williams can make that jump as he enters his third season, it's a dramatic development for Detroit. He would make an offense that already has explosive weapons like St. Brown, LaPorta, Gibbs, and David Montgomery that much more dynamic, and his ability to burn secondaries deep adds another layer for opposing defenses.