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The Detroit Lions knew two things about wide receiver Jameson Williams when they drafted him in the first round in 2022 — he had the potential to be a game-changer in the NFL, and he had some growing up to do.
Now entering his third NFL season, Williams has shown that growth and received some heightened expectations from the team. Head coach Dan Campbell called him the team’s most improved player earlier in the offseason and assistant general manager Ray Agnew raved about his “tremendous growth” in a recent interview.
But general manager Brad Holmes also revealed the warning the team had regarding Williams at the time they drafted him.
“When we drafted him, we said, ‘He’s going to need to grow up a little bit.’ And he did, so it’s been right on pace,” Holmes said, via SI.com’s John Maakaron.
‘Blessing in Disguise’ for Jameson Williams
Williams had a slow start to his career in Detroit, missing most of his rookie season while rehabbing a torn ACL and then losing the first four games of his second season to a gambling suspension.
Holmes said the time away ended up being a positive for Williams, who was able to work on himself both on and off the field.
“I’ll just say on Jamo, too, and not just him specifically, but in a lot of different situations, it happens in life often that you think you’re encountering a setback, and it ends up being a blessing in disguise a little bit,” Holmes said. “I think those first two years, we knew that he was going to be recovering from his injury that first year, so we knew that. But then, he had another hurdle the second year, but those two years, he showed tremendous growth. Showed tremendous growth as a person and a player, and so I see it as, actually it’s been a good thing because now he’s out there and you can clearly see the maturation in his game. And, it’s just been a joy to see this year.”
Lions Moving Speedy Receiver into Big Role
The Lions saw a big change in their wide receiving corps this offseason when No. 2 receiver Josh Reynolds left in free agency, creating a void that Williams is expected to play a big role in filling. Tim Twentyman, a reporter for the team’s official website, noted that Williams is expected to receive the bulk of the targets (64) that Reynolds got last season.
Holmes said he is confident Williams will be up to the task, pointing out the hard work he put in to improve this offseason.
“You can clearly tell he’s put the work in and he’s been working even harder,” Holmes said. “It means something to him. This kid loves football. I mean he loves football, and I think it’s very evident in the results that you saw this training camp that the work that he’s put in.”
Holmes added that Williams has plenty of help and role models like Amon-Ra St. Brown.
“Obviously, you have an elite player like St. Brown, and forget the performance, but how his intangibles are and Kalif Raymond,” Holmes said. “He’s got really good guys to look upon and follow. He’s seen how they work, but you can see the results that’s shown in camp.”
