The Detroit Lions knew what they were getting into when they traded up for Jameson Williams in the first round of the 2022 draft. Coming off a torn ACL in the national title game that January, his rookie season would be greatly limited.
There was promise heading into Year 2, but a four-game gambling suspension and a training camp injury set Williams back. When he was on the field, even with some real progress late in the season, there were hiccups with route running, drops and general chemistry with Jared Goff.
Going into his third season, the Lions have cleared the runway for Williams to put it all together and have a full-on breakout. To his credit he had a strong run in OTAs and training camp, but the rubber is close to meeting the road as Week 1 approaches.
Look at any list tabbing a breakout player, one x-factor or something similar for the Lions this year, and Williams is the low-hanging fruit. It also means there will be a lot of eyes on him, as he can bring something unique to what is already a very good offense.
Lions not afraid to publicly raise expectations for Jameson Williams
During their post-training camp, post roster cuts press conference on Thursday, Lions general manager Brad Holmes and assistant general manager Ray Agnew spoke about Williams.
Holmes talked about Williams' maturation process.
"I'm sure you guys have talked to him already and he's told you that he had to mature a lot, and you saw that," Holmes said. "We do a lot of research and background on all of these players that we acquire, and we had a good sense of who Jamo was as a person, but we definitely felt comfortable that he was going to be a fit for us, and he's shown the growth."
"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 also pointed to the difficulties Williams had in his first two years as a "blessing in disguise." That's hard to argue with.
Agnew also had plenty to say about Williams, and he pulled no punches to raise the bar.
"I think you can see the growth, tremendous growth in this kid as a player and a person", Agnew said.
"I think he's attacking the game the way he should attack it now, like a professional. His route running has improved, catching the ball has improved. He's an exciting kid to watch play and I'm expecting big things out of him this year and I'm sure he is too."
Williams openly acknowledged how he feels he has matured a lot, and by all accounts the difference on the practice field has been obvious. As he embraces the expectations around him this year, internally the Lions (as expected) are not hiding from them either.