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Position: WR
College: Alabama
Height: 6’ 2”
Weight: 189 lbs.
Age: 20
247 Rating: 0.9621
By: Nate Christian (@NateNFL)
The Rundown:
Alabama has been churning out NFL talent at the wide receiver position for years now, and for the 2022 NFL Draft, it will continue. But the story with Jameson Williams is a little different. After two uneventful years at Ohio State behind Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Williams found greener pastures down south. In one year with Alabama, Williams went from a no-name backup to one of the best players in all of college football. An incredible story and testament to the new-age transfer portal, a late-season injury ended his rise to fame with a slight question mark. What lies in store for one of the most electric players in the nation?
College Production:
In his two years at Ohio State, Williams totaled 15 receptions for 266 yards and 3 touchdowns. This production wasn’t painting a great future for his football career, so he decided to find another place with more opportunity. Alabama saw something in Williams and took a swing at him. It’s hard to pass on Nick Saban so Williams made the jump and immediately inserted himself into the starting lineup by August. In 2021, Williams blew past his previous seasons and collected 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns. Unfortunately, in the championship game Williams suffered a non-contact knee injury (ACL) and will no longer be able to participate in the NFL Combine or the Alabama Pro Day.
Strengths:
- I Am Speed- There is no player faster on the field in this draft class than Williams. His ability to get down the field shows up in more than just his Yards After The Catch, but also in the constant separation he creates behind the safeties. It’s very impressive and something you don’t often see so consistently at that level of football. With Williams on the field, there’s always a chance to score.
- Creates Hesitation- If you can get a corner to fall on their heels when backpedaling, you’ve won the matchup. Williams does this often. His speed and explosiveness is constantly running through the defender’s mind and the pacing of his routes and release off the line often have the corner falling back before he takes off on his route. Once he gets the first step on the defender, anything can happen.
- Quick-Twitch- Not just a straight line kind of speedster, Williams can take screens and sweeps to the house. He’s able to break tackles and make defenders miss with his agility and impressive balance. This lets him be a weapon for the offense on all plays and can help coaches manufacture touches in any situation.
Weaknesses:
- One-Year Wonder- As with any player who breaks out the same year they then declare for the draft, people will always nit-pick that there isn’t a history of production. Why couldn’t Williams beat out his competition at Ohio State? Why is he now considered a better prospect than some of those players? Truthfully, it’s a very complicated situation and we’ll never really know, but what he did for Alabama in 2021 was truly incredible.
- Knee Injury- This is less of a concern overall and more of just a concern regarding his draft capital. I still believe there is no doubt he goes in Round 1, but a team may hesitate to select him where they had originally planned if he is unable to contribute much his rookie year. Will certainly be something to keep an eye on, but it shouldn’t impact his overall career.
Things to Watch:
With the knee injury and rehab, it’s unlikely we hear too much out of Williams’ camp leading up to the draft, outside of some rehab updates. He won’t have any measurables and testing numbers to compare, which is unfortunate as he would have lit up the 40-Yard Dash. As we head to the draft, just keep an ear out to make sure that he hasn’t suffered any setbacks.
Projected Round/Contract:
Jameson Williams is a first rounder, injury or no injury. The only difference now is that he may be a value at the back half of the first round rather than a Top-10/15 kind of player. Whatever team that drafts Williams will likely have to wait a year until they get full production out of the receiver, but it will be well worth the wait. Looking at potential draft slots, his contract will likely come in around $3.5 million a year over the first four years of his rookie contract. And of course, as a first rounder he will have that extra fifth year option.
Team Fits:
A player like Williams could excel in just about any offense or scheme. He’s not just a down-the-field burner, as he offers upside all around the field. But there are certainly a couple teams that could really use a player like him. First up is the unfortunate story of the Raiders and Henry Ruggs. It’s highly unlikely that Ruggs ever sees the field again and the Raiders have already moved on from him. They need a new receiver to pair with Hunter Renfrow ($708,987) and they have shown throughout their history they love players with speed. While having to wait a while for Williams to get healthy could turn them off, there is almost no better match for the Raiders in this draft. His ability to not only stretch the field, but create plays out of nothing, could finally give them the WR1 of their dreams. At pick 22, this could be a realistic fit.
Three teams in a row, #26 Tennessee, #27 Tampa Bay, and #28 Green Bay could all use one Jameson Williams on their squad. Tennessee has A.J. Brown ($1,413,092) on the roster but if Julio Jones ($22,000,000) can’t stay healthy then it could be time to look elsewhere. Tampa Bay has Mike Evans ($16,500,000) who is great, but with most of the rest of receiving core sitting as free agents, Williams could be a great compliment. And then you have Green Bay. With the unknown at the quarterback position, anything is on the table for them, but if they finally want to create some depth at the wideout position, Williams would be an incredible pick.
Make sure to follow Nate Christian over on Twitter at @NateNFL and check out all the work he is doing with the Dynasty Rewind (@DynastyRewind).