Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams will automatically disappoint if expectations aren't kept realistic
Jameson Williams has a lot to prove, and a lot of potential, but unrealistic expectations will only set him up to disappoint.
When the Detroit Lions took Jameson Williams No. 12 overall in the 2022 draft, they did so knowing anything he did as a rookie would be a bonus as he got acclimated coming back from a torn ACL. Still, there were some missed opportunities (drops, missed connections, a penalty calling a touchdown back) as he ultimately registered just two touches (a catch and a carry, each for at least 40 yards) in six games last season.
Fully healthy and with a normal offseason to hone his game, the expectations for Williams to have a breakout second season were easy. Then that was set off course by a six-game gambling suspension, and by the end of his second season he will have played in no more than 17 of a possible 34 games. Que the sad trombone.
Williams is still loaded with potential, and some may say both of his first two seasons will be derailed by circumstances beyond his control. An injury fits being "beyond his control", but a gambling suspension at best straddles the line between being in or out of his control.
Jameson Williams could be crushed by the weight of unrealistic expectations
The Lions have stood behind Williams in the wake of his gambling suspension, as expected and as they should, But he absolutely has a lot to prove once he's able to take the field this season, and he needs to hit the ground running starting in Week 7.
The body of the story is a little softer, but Christian Booher of SI.com started with this bold headline.
"Why Jameson Williams Can Be Next Justin Jefferson"
Woah. Booher thinks the Lions expect Williams to have a Justin Jefferson-like impact, eventually anyway. When he'll have lost chunks of his first two seasons, while Jefferson has been impactful practically from Day 1 over his first three seasons with the Vikings.
The career track and expectations (at least for what will be two seasons) for the two players don't seem to be very adjacent. But...
"It's adjacent to how Minnesota felt when drafting Justin Jefferson in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In just three full seasons, Jefferson, the No. 22 overall pick in 2020, has blossomed into one of the league's best wideouts. "
- Christian Booher, SI.com
"The Lions are hoping to see Williams make a similar impact. His career was hindered to start in 2022, as he missed the first 10 games while rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in college. "
- Christian Booher, SI.com
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Williams has a ton to prove once he's able to play this season--which he surely knows. He may meet lofty on-field expectations, in time. But he should not be subject to unrealistic expectations right now. Like eventually being on the same level as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL--some might even say the best as we head toward the 2023 season.
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