What You Need to Know:

• Williams (6'2, 179) posted a breakout 2021 season at Alabama (79-1,572-15).
• Prior to ’21, he totaled only 15 catches in 2 seasons at Ohio State.
• With ‘Bama, Williams ranked 5th in the nation in receiving yards; T-3rd in TDs.
• He displayed elite speed, finishing ’21 with ~20 YPC and 4 scores of 70+ yards.
• Williams’ market shares were solid at a premier program: 20.8% of the catches, 31.0% of the receiving yards and 31.3% of the receiving scores.
• Come December, Williams suffered a left ACL tear. Of course, he wasn’t able to test at the Combine. Team surgeon Dr. Lyle Cain said he expected Williams to be fine for training camp, but admitted that “each team has their own process.”
• Despite the injury, the Lions moved up 20 spots to land him in Round 1.
• In early June, HC Dan Campbell said the following on Williams' training camp status: “I don’t see him being ready for training camp.I’m very hopeful, but I don’t see it.”
• The possibility remains that Williams misses regular season games. A trip to the PUP list would cost him 4 games, and it’s possible Detroit plays it slow with their 1st rounder.
• Detroit signed speedster DJ Chark in free agency. He barely played last year due to an ankle fracture, but he’s back to 100%.
• Jared Goff returns for year 2 with the Lions. His suspect arm strength and conservative approach is a questionable fit for Williams, especially following an offseason that'll turn up minimal practice time.
• According to Nick Baumgardner of The Athletic: "That rehab schedule might stretch on for a while. Not just through training camp but, perhaps, into a chunk of the season."

Draft Sharks Bottom Line:

We love Williams’ long-term prospects. He dominated last year in the SEC, and his tape turns up some truly special speed and acceleration.

He doesn’t have the same bulk, but the athletic comparisons to Tyreek Hill are legit.

For 2022, though, he’s just an end-of-roster stash until his ACL fully heals.