Maybe it is too early to label Lions’ wide receiver Jameson Williams a “bust.”
Yet, trading up to select Williams 12th overall during the 2022 NFL Draft was unquestionably a mistake.
After recovering from ACL surgery, Williams was supposed to be the Lions’ version of Drake London, Chris Olave or Garrett Wilson, the three receivers drafted just ahead of him.
To describe such a scenario as unlikely this season would be a gross understatement. Williams was unimpressive this preseason before a hamstring injury sidelined him. He was already struggling to catch up because of a six-game suspension.
As rookies, Wilson (Jets), Olave (Saints) and London (Falcons) averaged 76 catches for 1,002 yards and four TDs. Those numbers only figure to skyrocket this fall, especially for Olave and Wilson with the additions of Derek Carr and Aaron Rodgers at QB.
The Lions, who would have had the 32nd and 34th selections overall because of the Matthew Stafford trade, could have taken budding Packers’ star Christian Watson with either pick.
Instead, the Lions gave up pick 32 and dropped to 46th overall in the second round, choosing defensive end Josh Paschal, who also had an injury-plagued rookie season.
In the process, they denied themselves a shot at two second rounders ranking among the NFL’s better rookies, running back Kenneth Walker and safety Jalen Pitre. They were selected between the Lions’ original second-round draft position No.34 and 46th overall.
There is also the matter of contract structure in the NFL. Even on his rookie deal, Williams is a relatively expensive piece to carry on the salary cap because of his draft slot. It’s $3.5 million this season, and more than $4 million next. Releasing or trading him won’t provide any dead cap relief until following the ’24 season, and entering the final year of his contract.
The Lions nearly made the playoffs last season with next to no impact from Williams. They might have if they passed on the deal and general manager Brad Holmes held onto their original draft positions.
And it certainly would have put the Lions’ in even better position for the much-anticipated upcoming campaign.
There is still time for Williams to contribute, perhaps mightily for the Lions’ later this season. The speed is there, but at this point he looks a lot more like John Ross than DeSean Jackson.
While he may not turn out to be a “bust,” depending on your definition of the word as it equates to the NFL, drafting William was unquestionably a glaring misstep by Holmes, who otherwise has been remarkably in stride so far.
Any defense of the deal, even at this stage, would be defending the indefensible.