Today, we continue our 2022 Prospect Profile series where we break down each prospect’s outlook for their potential rookie campaign in the NFL by assessing their individual strengths and weaknesses, reviewing potential landing spots, and giving our assessment of their potential fantasy relevance in the coming season.
The next player to continue our 2022 Prospect Profile series is a wide receiver that I believe has the biggest upside of any receiver in the 2022 draft class. I am, of course, speaking about Jameson Williams, Wide Receiver, University of Alabama.
Projected Draft Spot
Middle to Late 1st Round
Potential Suitors
Eagles, Packers, Steelers, Browns, Patriots, Chiefs, Titans, Jets, Saints, Cardinals
Strengths
SEC leaders in YAC last season
— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) March 23, 2022
???? Jameson Williams: 722
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???? John Metchie III: 640 pic.twitter.com/ckE06NyFQO
Williams has great hands and the ability to catch the ball in traffic. He can stretch the field vertically and has a great burst off the line. He has elite speed (10.54s in the 100-meter dash) and a freakish combo of speed, balance, quickness, and footwork. He is by far the best receiver in this class when it comes to yards after the catch. He was the engine and MVP of the 2021 Alabama team that finished runner up for the national championship. As a Georgia fan, as much as I hate to admit it, you can make a legit argument that had he not been injured in the title game, Alabama would have defeated Georgia a second time and won the national championship.
Weaknesses
Williams needs to work on using his hands to secure deep passes, as at times he allows deep passes into his chest/pads and that leads to ricochets which could lead to turnovers in the NFL. He needs to put on more muscle to physically and consistently win on the outside. The biggest weakness is the status of his ACL injury Without that injury and the concerns that come with it, I believe he would have been the 1st receiver off the board this year.
Player Comparisons
There honestly is not a player in the NFL presently or in recent memory with Williams’ combination of speed, quickness, physicality, and size. At 6 foot 2 inches, he is much taller than guys who come to mind like Tyreek Hill or Jaylen Waddle. Williams is a true vertical threat similar to the guys mentioned above in that they are all tremendous at taking a short pass and turning it into a big play with their run after the catch abilities.
Best Case Drafted By: (Chiefs via Trade in 10-15 area)
The news that the Chiefs traded speedster Tyreek Hill to Miami for 5 draft picks signals to me the Chiefs are targeting Jameson Williams in this draft. He would be a perfect weapon in that offense and unlike Mecole Hardman he is so much more than just a burner. Until the trade of Hill to the Dolphins, I thought Williams was going to be drafted via trade by the Patriots. He would be a great weapon in the Pats offense and a receiver who could help Mac Jones make the leap to the next level. However, considering the Patriots rarely trade up in the draft and the fact KC now has two 1st round picks this year, plus extra 2nd and 3rd round picks this season and next, the likelihood of Kansas City being able to package enough draft capital to climb up in the draft to get Williams is the more likely outcome.
This is as good of a scenario for a player being drafted by the perfect team that I can remember in a long time. Mahomes would immediately get another speedster who can stretch the field and make plays after the catch which might be enough for the Chiefs to remain the favorites in the suddenly loaded AFC West.
Worst Case Drafted By: (Jets #10)
Call me crazy but I’m nowhere near giving up on Zach Wilson as being a good starting QB. To blame him for being thrown to the wolves his rookie year with arguably the worst offensive line and on a team that was down often, leading to obvious passing situations is not fair. Williams could be a great receiver to pair with 2nd year Wilson and running back Michael Carter. However, the next teams rumored to draft a wide receiver in the 1st round after the Jets are New England, Green Bay, Arizona, and Kansas City.
The Jets are by far the worst outcome for Williams when you are choosing from those teams. Green Bay and Kansas City have arguably the best 2 QBs in the game and need a new #1 receiving option. The Cardinals would pair him with Hopkins and Murray making a lethal combo and not put as much pressure on Williams returning from the ACL injury. If the Hoodie in New England finally trades some of their war chest of draft picks to give Mac Jones, who is coming off a good rookie season, a real threat at wide receiver, their offensive production could be taken to another gear. All of these are better options than the Jets.
Fantasy Relevant Next Season?
If Williams is drafted by Kansas City or Green Bay in April, the pre-fantasy draft hype will be unreal. It would be a very similar situation for Williams at WR that we saw last season for RB Najee Harris in Pittsburgh where a rookie is in the perfect system and situation to warrant an early draft pick in fantasy. If he ends up with the other teams I mentioned above, That being said I think the hype will outweigh the production if the latter were to happen.
Williams is going to amaze in camp and fly up draft boards either way. However, there is a big difference from being the de facto number 1 wide receiver with Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Maholmes compared to the same for Zach Wilson or Mac Jones. The Cardinals would be an intriguing landing spot but as long as DeAndre Hopkins is around he would be the second option at best. If he is drafted by Green Bay or Kansas City, fantasy teams who take the risk of drafting a rookie receiver early will be rewarded, like those who drafted Najee Harris as their running back #1 last year. However, if he ends up on any other teams, whether due to the limits of those starting quarterbacks, or the limitations of the amount of opportunities/targets he will see in those offenses, you’ll need to temper expectations and avoid the disappointment of drafting him in rounds 1-3.
Thanks for reading my 2022 Prospect Profile on Jameson Williams. Stay tuned later this week for my next wide receiver breakdown on the biggest “boom or bust” receiver in this draft class!
