ALLEN PARK, MICHIGAN - JULY 29: Jameson Williams #18 of the Detroit Lions looks on during the Detroit Lions Training Camp at the Lions Headquarters and Training Facility on July 29, 2022 in Allen Park, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
With the No. 12 overall selection in this year’s draft, the Detroit Lions selected wide receiver, Jameson Williams, out of Alabama. In 2021, Williams averaged 19.9 yards per catch for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide. However, he tore his ACL during their 2022 College Football Playoff loss to the Georgia Bulldogs. Today, it was reported that Williams was placed on the Lions’ NFI (Non-Football Illness) list.
Though Williams sustained the injury during a football game, the injury did not occur during an NFL game. Head Coach Dan Campbell stated that the team is coming up with a plan for him to come back healthy this season. However, he admitted that he “didn’t see him being ready for training camp” and that he won’t be ready to go in Week 1.
With Williams likely out for at least the first few weeks of the regular season, expect Amon-Ra St. Brown’s draft stock to increase. This should also mean that WR D.J. Chark, formerly of the Jacksonville Jaguars will be getting bumped up in terms of the team’s depth at receiver. Last season, Chark only got to play in four games for the Jaguars due to injury. However, he caught for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns through 14 games played in 2019 and 706 yards for five touchdowns in 2020. Chark’s numbers last season are representative of what he is capable of. When healthy like he was in his first three seasons, Chark could catch the ball and get in the end zone.
You could also see an uptick in production from pass-catching RB D’Andre Swift. In his first two NFL seasons, Swift has combined for 1,138 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns. But he’s also caught for a combined 809 yards (452 receiving yards in 2021) and four receiving touchdowns over the last two years. With Jameson Williams out of the picture for at least the beginning of the season, St. Brown and Chark will be the team's No. 1 and No. 2 options at wide receiver, respectively. You could also see a higher frequency of targets to Swift, as the Lions will try to fill in the hole as they wait for their rookie wideout to be ready at some point in the 2022 season.
