When the opening round of the NFL Draft begins next Thursday in Las Vegas, Alabama stud receiver Jameson Williams will be about three months removed from ACL surgery. He suffered the devastating knee injury during the national championship against archrival Georgia in January, and had he completed the season healthy, he'd arguably be the top receiver on every draft board.
The good news for Williams is that his draft stock hasn't dropped significantly. Last month, during the Crimson Tide's pro day, he told NFL Network that he's ahead of schedule in his recovery. And although he wasn't able to participate in drills on campus or at the NFL Combine, he's optimistic to return to the field when training camps begin. It's unclear when Williams will be drafted, but NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah believes he still could be a top-10 pick.
"I think there's still a legit chance he could surprise us and be the first-overall wide receiver off the board," Jeremiah explained to The DA Show on Thursday. "If you go back and look over the last few years, this league is obsessed with speed. And there's a reason for it. If you look at Tyreek Hill and the difference he made with the Kansas City Chiefs, it kind of changed the perception there. John Ross obviously went too high, where he went, with all of his speed.
"Jaylen Waddle, I think a lot of people thought he'd go after 10, in that 10 to 15 range. And he went up there. Every year we see these wideouts with big-time speed get pushed up the board. And this kid isn't just a pure speed guy. He's got a lot of other things. He's really though, he's physical. He's got a chance to go all the way up there. And if he was the 10th pick in the draft, it wouldn't shock me. He's got a lot of buzz around the league."
Williams, who's listed at 6-foot-1 and 179 pounds, is currently the top-ranked receiver and ninth overall prospect on the Pro Football Focus draft big board. In his lone season with the Crimson Tide, the 21-year-old showcased his elite speed and deep-threat ability, amassing a team-high 1,572 receiving yards on 79 catches with 15 touchdowns in 15 games. Williams' top performance came in the SEC championship, as he racked up 184 yards with two scores.
Because of his athleticism, Williams was also used for special teams in 2021. He returned 10 kickoffs for a combined 352 yards for Alabama, and took two of those kicks back for touchdowns. With explosive speed in the open field, Williams was clocked at 22.4 mph in the SEC title game, and it remains to be seen how fast he'll move on a surgically repaired knee. The NFL announced that 21 prospects plan to attend the draft, and Williams is one of them.
The entire NFL draft conversation between Jeremiah and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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