Name: Jameson Williams

School: Alabama

Year: Jr.

Position: Wide Receiver

Measurables: 6’2 189 Ibs

Stats: 

General Info:

The football/track and field high school all-star graduated with three state championships in his two sports. Both of his track championships came his junior year after beating Ezekial Elliot’s state track records. In his senior season, Williams led his football team to a state championship as the 82nd ranked player in his class and a 4-star recruit.

Then, he committed to The Ohio State University. Here, he never got the opportunity he was probably promised as a recruit. Two years went by and Williams only had 15 catches. However, he made the most out of those 15 catches. At this point, he realized that despite owning a guaranteed starting spot his junior year, the wide receiver room was crowded and he wouldn’t be able to show off his NFL potential.

After two underwhelming seasons, Williams transferred to Alabama where he thrived. On a team full of stars, Williams shined the brightest. Unfortunately,  tore his ACL in the National Championship against Georgia. Still, he won many awards such as First Team All American, First Team All-SEC, and SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Year.

Positional Skills:

Strengths

Williams’ most obvious strength is his speed. He is wide open in his highlights due to his acceleration and top speed. It also helps that he’s great at selling routes. This separation from defenders should project to the next level. Quarterbacks also do not have to wait long for Williams to get open because of how quick his release is, but often it seemed he was outrunning his quarterback’s range because he would have to turn around and slow down to catch the ball. Blink an eye and he is twenty yards downfield without a defender even on the screen.

Maybe the most intriguing part of Williams as a prospect isn’t even what he brings to the passing game as a deep threat. His elusiveness gives him the opportunity to play somewhat of a Deebo Samuel role. He wasn’t utilized that much in the running game, but when he was he shined. Production was inevitable with how hard it is to tackle someone athletic he is. This is in large part due to his body control to slip through defenders. However, in order to have the production in the running game consistently, he would have to gain some muscle mass to prevent injuries.

All of his previously stated traits will allow Williams to be a threat on special teams as well. Like the run game, coaches may opt to not involve Williams due to injury risk, but he could be a threat with returning punts or kicks. He only has experience with returning kicks, but he definitely could return punts or even be a gunner for coverage.

Weaknesses

Before his injury, Williams was a top 10 prospect in this year’s draft. So, his most obvious weakness will be his recovery. Will he return to his future glory and retain his speed? Any other concerns about Williams come after that. He most likely will not play in 2022 because of how recent his injury was. Therefore, any team that needs a plug-and-play player in order to win now shouldn’t draft Williams.

Despite being a freak of an athlete, Williams has one significant physical flaw: his weight. For his height, he is relatively small and often times gets overpowered by physical corners. This makes him a liability in run blocking, and his effort is questionable here at times as well. At the line of scrimmage, Williams can be manhandled and thrown off his route. Alabama found ways around this by often lining Williams in the slot or in a bunch so that he would get a free release.

It often appears that due to his size and strength, Williams is playing scared. He has a couple of concentration drops when it appears that Williams is trying to protect himself rather than trying to catch the ball. Also, Williams is much more likely to try and avoid a defender than to run through one. Perhaps this is for good reason, but it is still noteworthy. With how talented Williams is, scouts have to start to nick pick his craft to try to separate him from the other 1st rounders.

Fit with the Packers:

Is it even realistic for the Packers to have the option to draft Jameson Williams? Before his injury, Williams was projected as a potential Top 10 draft selection and the obvious wide receiver one in his class. However, ACL injuries are serious and there is a possibility he could fall far down the boards because of how late in the year his injury was. In other words, it would no longer be surprising to see Jameson Williams still available at the end of the first round. However, if the Packers are serious about running it back with Aaron Rodgers for 2022 or father, Williams will not be selected. Even with the Packers’ history of drafting wide receivers in the first round, or lack thereof, Williams will not be able to produce until at least the 2023 season.

If the Packers plan to rebuild in 2022, he could be an option. However, it is still doubtful. At worst, Williams could be a Z or slot receiver taking over the MVS role while being a consistent deep threat for Jordan Love. Also, he would add a ton of athletic ability to special teams for new coordinator Rich Bisaccia: both as a gunner and returner. If he added a little weight over his recovery, he would have the ideal Packers receiver body type that they love. The ceiling for Williams is incredibly high and might be the only hope he has for becoming a Packer. There is a chance he could develop into a Tyreek Hill-level player simply because of his dangerous speed, but will he keep that speed after his gruesome injury?

This draft definitely has some prospects at the receiver position that the Packers should look at because they are so thin, and there are so many question marks. However, drafting Williams would only add more questions to such a complicated room. Will stronger defenders overpower him at the line of scrimmage every play? Will the drops continue to be a problem? Will he give more effort at the next level in run blocking? More than likely, fans will never see Jameson Williams in green and gold, but he is a fun idea to play with and whichever team gets Williams should be more than happy.