The Lions pulled the first major move of the draft Thursday night and may have landed the best wide receiver on the board.
Detroit swung a trade with the Vikings for the 12th overall pick and drafted Alabama's Jameson Williams. The Lions are sending picks Nos. 32, 34 and 66 to Minnesota and will also get back No. 46.
Williams was widely considered the best receiver in the draft before he tore his ACL in Alabama's national championship loss to Georgia. Even so, he projects as a star at the next level, a smooth route runner with "electric long speed to impact a game as a home-run hitter," says NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein.
He said at his pro day last month that he expects to be fully cleared by the start of training camp.
In 15 games last season, Williams caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns, finishing second in the country in yards per catch. He posted an Alabama record four touchdowns of at least 70 yards.
"He has all the juice to find consistent separation ... and could see monstrous production if paired with a high-end talent at quarterback," says Zierlein.
In Detroit, Williams will join a quickly rebuilt receiving corps that also features a budding star in the slot in Amon-Ra St. Brown and a proven weapon on the perimeter in free agent acquisition D.J. Chark. In a year, Brad Holmes and the Lions have transformed the worst position group on their roster to one of the best.
Think St. Brown liked the move? "Uh oh," he tweeted shortly after the pick was announced. "It's boutta get real dangerous."