When Brad Holmes traded up to draft Jameson Williams last spring, he did so knowing Williams was unlikely to play a key role on the Detroit Lions offense as a rookie because of the knee injury he suffered in college.
The pick was, essentially, a future’s bet — one whose odds became a little longer of cashing last week after Williams was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s gambling policy.
Williams will play for the Lions this fall, but he won’t be on the field until Oct. 22 at the earliest and his absence could have a not-so subtle impact on the Lions’ strategy when the NFL draft kicks off Thursday in Kansas City.
The Lions learned of the NFL’s investigation last month, so they had been bracing for Williams’ suspension for weeks. They signed veteran receiver Marvin Jones to replace the departed DJ Chark in free agency, but did not take any big swings at the position — despite a depressed market and knowing Williams could face potential discipline — a sign they have not given up hope Williams will be a key part of their offense for years to come.
“I didn’t really care if he played last year,” Holmes said at his pre-draft news conference last week, before news of the suspension was announced. “If he did, he did. I’m glad he did, but I was looking for this year.”
Williams ended up playing six games for the Lions in 2022, catching one pass and carrying the ball once on an end around.
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It wasn’t a lost season, but it was close to one. He practiced with the team for most of the second half of the year, traveled to road games and sat in on meetings throughout his rehab. However, Williams never developed much chemistry with quarterback Jared Goff and never played more than 18 snaps in a game.
Williams joined Goff and others in the Lions’ receiving corps for a throwing session in California last month, and he can take part in formal offseason workouts this spring, participate in training camp, and play preseason games in the summer before his suspension kicks in. There is plenty of time still for him to develop the chemistry with teammates and playbook know-how needed to be a major contributor this fall and for the duration of his contract.
But Williams’ absence for the start of this season, and the dwindling odds he reaches his vaulted ceiling as a player, at least during his time with the Lions, means the team will add to its receiver room by one method or another in the coming months.
They could work the veteran trade market or wait till roster cutdown day to find a short-term replacement, or they could use one of their nine draft picks this week to add a player to the room who could join Amon-Ra St. Brown (and, they hope, Williams) as long-term staples at the position.
Rookie receivers have had significant impacts in recent years.
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Garrett Wilson and Ja’Marr Chase are the last two NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year winners, and two of only five receivers to have won the award since the turn of the century. Both players excelled as top-10 picks, and the Lions are not likely to spend their sixth overall choice on the position. But there’s been others who had major impacts after going later in the draft.
Justin Jefferson, the fifth receiver taken in 2020, set a then-NFL rookie receiving record (that Chase broke the following year). St. Brown was a fourth-round pick who had 90 catches in 2021. And Tee Higgins, Deebo Samuel. A.J. Brown and Terry McLaurin are among the recent receiver hits on Day 2.
This year’s receiver class lacks blue-chip prospects like Chase, Jaylen Waddle and DeVonta Smith up top, but it is deep in potential starters and could produce as many five first-round picks.
Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Boston College’s Zay Flowers and USC’s Jordan Addison are slot receiver types who had at least one standout college season, while TCU’s Quentin Johnston offers size and a massive catching radius as a downfield threat, and Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt is a burner who can stretch the field.
If the Lions prefer to wait and draft a receiver, as was Holmes’ M.O. before trading up for Williams last spring, they should have plenty of Day 2 options to mix and match with their current receiving corps. Currently, St. Brown and Williams are the only receivers the Lions have under contract beyond 2023.
“There’s some hit or miss guys,” ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said in a conference call last month. “If you pick the right one you’ll be happy, but there’s some guys that certainly, out of this group, will end up being somewhat disappointments.”
In that regard, this year’s receiver class is no different than the one the Lions rolled the dice on trading up for Williams last year.
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.
Feeling a draft?
What: 2023 NFL draft.
When/where: 8 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday; Kansas City, Missouri.
TV: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network.
Lions’ picks (with overall picks in parentheses): Round 1 — No. 6 (6), No. 18 (18); Round 2 — No. 17 (48), No. 24 (55); Round 3 — No. 18 (81); Round 5 — No. 16 (152), No. 23 (159); Round 6 — No. 6 (183), No. 17 (194).