Jameson Williams has steadily ascended every season of his NFL career, and he’s starting to earn the proper respect from national media.
Though his ceiling for production is somewhat capped by his status as the Detroit Lions’ No. 2 wide receiver behind perennial All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown, Williams has rebounded from some early-career setbacks to become one of pro football’s most dynamic receivers.
A recent article from Sports Illustrated's Eva Geitheim, Karl Rasmussen and Mike Kadlick ranking the league’s top 10 No. 2 wide receivers placed Williams as the third-best second option in the NFL. He was only behind Tee Higgins of the Cincinnati Bengals and the Dallas Cowboys' George Pickens, the latter of whom took the top spot.
Geitheim wrote:
"One of the most explosive receivers in the league, Jameson Williams averaged 17.2 yards per catch in 2025 and emerged as a premier deep threat. He finished ninth in the league in receiving yards while also ranking 10th among receivers in yards after the catch (441) and fifth in yards per reception. "Sports Illustrated's Eva Geitheim
Lions' Jameson Williams gets long-overdue recognition as one of the best WR2s in the NFL
As Geitheim alludes to, Williams’ superpower as a player is his blazing speed. He’s arguably the fastest player in the NFL. Not only does this lead to explosive plays for him, but it opens things up for the rest of the Lions’ offense.
Williams’ speed commands respect from defenses, which will often assign a safety to play particularly deep in an attempt to take away the long ball. This frees up more space in the short/intermediate part of the field and makes it easier for St. Brown and standout tight end Sam LaPorta to take advantage of those large swaths of grass.
It also takes an extra run defender out of the equation early in the play, making things a bit easier for fellow speedster Jahmyr Gibbs. Even when Williams isn’t getting the ball, he’s profoundly impacting the game.
That’s an important thing for the doubters to remember since Williams had several games last season where he was quiet on the stat sheet. Geitheim mentioned that the Lions made a more concerted effort to get him the ball in 2025, and indeed he finished the season on a torrid pace with three games over 100 yards in the last nine weeks.
The only two players above Williams on SI's list are Higgins and Pickens. Both are fair picks, since Higgins has a portfolio of WR1-caliber production since 2021 despite being the second fiddle behind all-world playmaker Ja'Marr Chase. Much of the same can be said about Pickens, who arguably isn't a No. 2 receiver at all; he and fellow Cowboys wideout are in more of a 1A-1B situation.
Lamb is the established face in Dallas, but injuries have taken him down from an Offensive Player of the Year-caliber receiver to a fringe All-Pro-level guy at best. Even when he returned from a three-game absence during the season, Pickens was Dallas’ top option.
Arguing between who is better between Lamb and Williams at this stage in their respective careers is honestly a tough call, and Williams’ big-play ability could win out despite Lamb being the more reliable target on a down-to-down basis.
Williams being ranked ahead of all-time great Davante Adams and a player who was just dealt for a first-round pick in Jaylen Waddle speaks volumes about his perception in league circles. It’s easy to forget now, but that looked like no guarantee for a while after the rocky start to his career.
Each season of Williams’ pro career has been better than the last. If he can continue to improve his game each offseason and become a more well-rounded route runner, there is legitimate All-Pro potential with him. He’s reportedly had his best offseason yet, and another step forward in 2026 could vault him from the best No. 2 receiver conversation into the best receivers in the NFL debate — even with St. Brown, LaPorta and rising sophomore Isaac TeSlaa all set to get their fair share of opportunities.
“We’re really excited about where he is right now,” Lions wide receivers coach Scottie Montgomery said of Williams. “This has definitely, by far, been his best offseason, his best chance to grow as a player since we’ve been here for a number of reasons, but he’s done a good job.”
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