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The Detroit Lions have a budding star in wide receiver Jameson Williams, but with the playmaker sidelined most of last year, it could be hard for some folks to know.
Williams has talent, of course, but often times, it’s the mental intangibles that set elite receivers apart from regular receivers in the league. The good news? Detroit’s brass believes Williams is in fantastic shape within that department already.
Speaking to DetroitLions.com reporter Tim Twentyman in the Twentyman in the Huddle podcast, Detroit assistant general manager Ray Agnew took some time to discuss Williams and his future. Twentyman asked him what sets Williams apart aside from the playmaking. As he explained, the big plays will always be there, but it’s the toughness he brings that will take him over the top.
“You get the athletic ability, what he can do, run and all that. Everybody can see that. That kid’s got some stuff in him that ain’t a lot of receivers got. He’s, you know, the big term ‘dog’ like (Amon-Ra) St. Brown. They just got that innate toughness in them. His ability, it is what it is. Everybody can see that. I think it’s that extra stuff that he has that’s going to make him special,” Agnew told Twentyman on the show.
Agnew’s words of praise shouldn’t be taken lightly. He was a former first-round pick at defensive end that played for 10 years in the league, putting up 448 tackles, 22.5 sacks and two interceptions as a player, and claimed Super Bowl 34 with the Rams.
To hear that Agnew sees the grit and determination within Williams to help make him a star is very notable. The Lions have all the faith that Williams has the right blend to become a big thing at wide receiver, and that’s probably why they made the move all the way up to the 12th pick in last year’s draft to select him.
Faith is strong in the Lions seeing Williams become something dominant in the near future.
Brad Holmes Has Similar Praise for Williams
The front office as a whole seems to have good thoughts about Williams and his future, which only seems to be proven each time any of them share their opinions.
Speaking to the media on Wednesday, January 10 in his season wrap-up, general manager Brad Holmes was asked about Williams. As he said, the rookie had to deal with plenty including rehabbing an injury which he had never experienced before.
“This is his first time going through an injury and a rehab process like he had to go through. To his credit, he went through it I think okay. Just getting through that for the first time and then when he completed that at where we were at in the season, that was the first hurdle. That was the first step,” Holmes told the media.
While Williams was back in the building, the Lions weren’t able to get him actual reps with quarterback Jared Goff that counted until much later. That combined to put the youngster in a situation where he was playing catch up.
“He was in meetings and he was at practice every day, but it’s different not getting those live reps. All those other receivers like DJ (Chark) and Josh (Reynolds), Amon-Ra (St. Brown) and Kalif (Raymond), those guys have been working with Jared way back in the offseason so they’ve had all that chemistry in all his reps and getting on the same page,” Holmes explained. “Jameson kind of had to start that after he got healthy and clear to get back on the field.”
As a result of this, and another offseason of getting adjusted, Holmes seems to think the surface has just been scratched for Williams, and he is going to make waves in the future.
“I think a little bit of what you saw, I don’t think that’s really anywhere close to where this kid’s gonna go,” Holmes said.
The Lions hope that Williams can continue to evolve and take those steps, which is something that it’s clear many believe will be the case.
Williams Enjoyed Decent 2022 Finish
Statistically, it was never going to be the biggest season for Williams with all he had to work on health-wise within his rookie season.
Additionally, Williams was trying to work on chemistry with Jared Goff essentially on the fly during crunch time of the NFL schedule. None of that was easy, which led to his up and down production during the last one and a half months he played.
Williams put up a total of 81 yards from scrimmage on the season with one touchdown. He had an electric debut against Minnesota in which he scored on a 41 yard pass on first down in the first quarter that showed his p
Here’s a look at the play, which was a beautiful route and the type of score that Williams turned in plenty of times in his college career:
Williams managed to find a seam down the middle of the field and managed to outrun everybody on the play, showing what he was capable of. Later in the season against Chicago, Williams was unleashed on a 40 yard reverse run.
Though he didn’t score on the play thanks to a flag, Williams showed the goods in Week 18 against Green Bay as well. He caught a deep pass on third-and-one and nearly took it for an electrifying touchdown to break open a 9-3 game early in the second quarter.
The highlights show a player who could be primed for a major sophomore season. If Williams can continue to bring the elite mindset that folks around the building seem to see, the sky could be the limit for his future in a big way.
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