With high-tops on his feet, John Morton ran the fastest 40-yard dash at the 1993 NFL combine: a blazing 4.39 seconds. Jameson Williams wasn't healthy enough to run the 40 at his combine, but insists he could clock a 4.1. Morton wouldn't doubt it. Asked how his prime speed compares to Williams', the new offensive coordinator for the Lions smiled and said, "Not even close."
"Not even close, man. I was a long strider, so I’d have to get going. He can go from zero to 60 fast. I mean, it’s amazing," Morton said Tuesday. "I haven’t been around a guy like him. There’s two players — (Jahmyr) Gibbs, too. The explosion. I mean, I was around Reggie Bush. That explosion, it’s impressive, those two guys."
Williams will tell you he's the fastest player in the NFL. He's at least in the, well, running. He took the top off opposing defenses last season when he cracked 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career and finished second in the league in yards per catch. It was a breakthrough a few years in the making after the Lions traded up to draft him 12th overall in 2022. Morton sees another one coming.
Morton was an offensive assistant in Detroit during Williams' rookie season. They both worked behind the scenes that year, Morton helping Ben Johnson construct weekly gameplans and build one of the best offenses in the NFL, Williams rehabbing a torn ACL. The difference between Williams then, at 21, and now, at 24, is "unbelievable," said Morton.
"When I first got here (this year), he came in to see me, we had a chat and I’m painting the picture, 'This is what you need to do, this is how I see it,' and he has been unbelievable. Just unbelievable. In the meetings, the attention to detail, I mean, I’m so excited to see him this year. It’s going to be a breakout year for him. I can’t wait. I just can’t wait, man."
Williams will always be a threat with his athletic gifts. Mastering the details of his position -- the timing of a break, the precision of each route -- can make him a star. Morton isn't alone in seeing a more cerebral player. Scottie Montgomery, who's taking over for Antwaan Randle El as the Lions' wide receivers coach after spending the past two seasons coaching the running backs, said Williams' approach to the game has "already changed" after his first big season.
When Montgomery reported to Allen Park recently for the start of offseason workouts, Williams was already in the building: "That's a big deal to me," he said. "In the offseason, I didn't have to call him. Once I got the job, he knew exactly what it was. He just came up to say hello because he knew what we need to get done."
In a meeting with the entire offense this week, Montgomery said Williams was engaged to a different degree. He called it "one of the better meetings I've ever seen him in, in this setting."
"The communication level and the questions and the football IQ and the acumen that he was asking questions (with), that's what you really want to see, and that's what we have to do," Montgomery said. "Are we where we want to be? No, we're not there. And I'm not saying that he's showing us something that's not there, but we want to take baby steps.
"He keeps developing the way he is right now, he's going to get to a location that he really, really likes. Really, really satisfied with where he is right now, but we've got a long way to go."
If Williams indeed takes his game to new heights this year, his new location might be literal. Brad Holmes has already expressed uncertainty about being able to extend him, given the exploding market for receivers. The Lions are paying Amon-Ra St. Brown $30 million per year through 2028 as it is, and have to budget for several more extensions in the years ahead. Williams is under contract through 2026, but could price himself out of the team's future with another step forward in 2025.
But that would be a good problem for the Lions to have. The next step for Williams, Montgomery said, is smoothing out the swings in his play. He had 75-plus yards in eight games last season, but was held under 40 yards in five games, six including the playoffs.
"We've seen his best, right? ... Now it's just the consistency of seeing his best," said Montgomery. "Is there a yardage connected to that for me? No. Is there an attitude connected to that for me? Yes, and that's what we have to look forward to with him."