The Lions entered the 2022 offseason in a desperate need to boost their receiver core. They signed DJ Chark out of free agency and the most notable action they took was trading up in the draft with division rival Minnesota Vikings. They selected standout Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams with the 12th pick in the 2022 NFL draft. Williams is most widely acknowledged for his outstanding speed and ability to match that with a good set of hands. Unfortunately Williams had to miss the first twelve weeks from an ACL tear that he suffered at the end of his college season. His playing during the season was limited from injury concerns and many people relate this to his unproficient season and already are considering him a bust. Williams was only able to obtain 1 reception, for 41 yards, and 1 touchdown. Which came in his week 14 face off against rival Minnesota Vikings. The discussion of considering him a bust this early on is beyond a disgusting take but one that should not even be relevant. Jameson Williams without a doubt will be a top receiver when next season is all said and done. Much like Amon-Ra St Brown, Williams is due for a breakout season and there are multiple reasons for this.
The most notable difference will be the amount of time Williams will have available to train and build relationships with his teammates. Obviously for about the entire 2022 season Williams was limited to the amount of training and preparation he had heading into his debut. He also had a little time to build and strengthen relationships with his teammates around him. The mistrust between Goff and Williams was nothing but obvious. On multiple accounts Williams was open but Goff would look else were. It makes sense that Goff would have this reaction since Williams always had to play on a limited snap count which would definitely leave a mark on the trust between quarterback and wide receiver. Goff also had an outstanding connection with St. Brown who was the Lions’ most targeted wideout all season and Goff had a strong connection with Josh Reynolds, and Kalif Raymond.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will also be returning as the offensive coordinator for the 2023 NFL season. This is gonna play a big role in Williams’ production next year. Johnson led one of the most productive passing and overall offenses in the entire NFL this season. He also seems to be able to work well and groom young NFL players to success. St. Brown who was drafted in the fourth round during the 2021 draft is considerably a top 10 wide receiver in the NFL heading into 2023. Not to mention he just won the best catch award at the 2023 Pro Bowl. It just goes to show that if any team is gonna be able to groom and prepare Williams for the NFL the Lion’s are gonna be that team. Also Williams playing a key piece in what has the potential to be a pass heavy offense will undoubtedly help boost his numbers for this upcoming season.
A lot of people like to believe that the Lions just missed on this pick and think that the amount of potential on the board was wasted on this pick. Johan Dotson, Treylon Burks, Christian Wastson, and Skyy Moore were all still available at the twelfth pick where they had drafted Jameson. It may not have been the fact that Jameson didn’t have the tool set for the NFL for some but more or less that he was not gonna be available until the second half of the season. Injury concerns then creeped into many fans’ heads and many believe that the Lions wasted a first round pick on somebody who will never be available. Many people also forget who drafted Williams. The Detroit Lions have an amazing track record of finding hidden gems in the draft the past few years. James Houston, Malcolm Rodriguez, Amon-Ra St Brown, and many more the list just goes on.
Everything I stated before this just boils down into one big understanding and fact of why Jameson will break out in 2023. That fact is Jameson Williams has every necessity to be a top receiver in the NFL in 2023.
