Jameson Williams feels the scrutiny, but not the pressure. If everyone's watching him, that's how he wants it: the best players attract the brightest lights.
"Yeah, I feel eyes on me, but it comes with everything, being drafted high," Williams said Monday. "I wouldn’t say I want the eyes off of me because I want ‘em on me, you know? Eventually they’ll be on me. So I wouldn’t say there’s pressure in that. I don’t feel no pressure."
All eyes were on the Lions' 22-year-old receiver in the preseason opener last Friday. And Williams left most of them wanting. Despite playing 51 snaps and running 26 routes mostly against the Giants backups as the Lions try to accelerate his growth ahead of his six-game suspension, Williams finished with just three catches on eight targets including his smooth grab on a two-point conversion. He dropped a perfectly thrown deep ball from Nate Sudfeld and saw two of his other targets get picked.
It wasn't the kind of performance that will quell any concerns about Williams' readiness for year two in the NFL, internally or externally. The positive, beyond the three catches, was that he played more snaps than he has since the 2021 season at Alabama.
"It was important to me because I haven’t been out and played that many reps in so long, so I guess it was for me to get my feet under myself and be prepared for when the time comes," Williams said. "So it was good for me. I felt like I got out there and did the right thing, lined up well, did some things. We got some things to fix, for sure, but I did pretty well."
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Dan Campbell voiced the same sentiment after the game, saying there were more positives than negatives in Williams' performance -- which felt forgiving. Williams, who missed most of last season recovering from a torn ACL and will reach the 23-game mark of his NFL career with just one catch to his name, said it simply felt "good for me to get out there and play football, you know?"
"The intensity of the game, it was a lot of fans there, was fully-packed, man. They had the chants going, everything. Just gets your adrenaline running and gets you ready for the next game, so it’s good," Williams said.
It's another big week for Williams in Allen Park. With the Jaguars in town for a pair of joint practices, it's probably Williams' last chance this summer to line up against actual opponents and catch passes from Jared Goff, who's unlikely to play in any preseason games. Williams has been working mostly with the second-team offense in camp, but he can expect to see plenty of first-team reps this week. As Campbell said earlier this month, "You want to feel like there’s a pretty good rapport with Goff by the time he leaves" the building in Week 1.
Goff and Williams haven't always had the sharpest connection, going back to last season. And the dropped deep ball against the Giants spotlighted the inconsistency of Williams' hands. It's an issue that dates to his college days, and one he and the Lions are working diligently to correct. Williams has been going through drills before and after practice with receivers coach Antwaan Randle El that focus on securing the football.
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"Just catching the ball, tucking and getting to the tuck all the way, not trying to make my move when I see the defender right there, things like that," said Williams. "But my main goal is to stay conditioned, stay ready for when that time comes. When I get back to practicing with the guys, it’s gonna be full-go."
That's what the Lions hope. They are counting on Williams to hit the ground running when he returns from his suspension in Week 7. So is everyone else with a vested interest in the former No. 12 pick, most notably -- and most vocally -- the fans. They are desperate for Williams to succeed, but not as desperate as Williams himself.
"I don’t really pay attention to things like that," said Williams. "I’m in my own head. I want to succeed as bad as I want to, so I feel like it’s gonna happen."
So, no pressure?
"Nah, no pressure," he said. "I was born for this."
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