Jameson Williams didn’t get much playing time during his first two years of college. He was buried on Ohio State’s wide receiver depth chart behind Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, both of whom are all but guaranteed to be picked before the Buffalo Bills make the 25th overall pick in the 2022 draft.
So for his junior season, Jamo transferred to Alabama, where he immediately struck up a connection with Bryce Young that led to a first-team All-American season. Over 15 games, Williams put up 1572 yards and 15 touchdowns on 79 catches. When he went down with a torn ACL in the National Championship Game, it was clear how much the Alabama offense missed his impact.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Williams has elite speed and route running and does an excellent job fighting back to the ball. In addition, he is excellent at finding open spots in the defense, even if his first route doesn’t get him loose. On top of his route running and ability to find soft spots in the zone, Williams was one of the most dangerous players in the country with the ball in his hands. His speed and separation after the catch are unmatched by any of the top prospects in this class.
The concerns with Williams lie in the fact that he only has one year of college production and is coming off a significant injury. But Williams is on track to make a full recovery so far and could be back to running by the draft.
When watching Williams’ film, he has a little bit of a problem with dropping passes. Bills fans saw firsthand how drops could ruin the career of a promising young wide receiver with Zay Jones. However, drops were also considered one of the red flags for Bengals rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. After some preseason struggles, he put together one of the best rookie wide receiver seasons in recent memory.
I believe Williams can work through his issues with drops. It seems more mechanical than mental and could be chalked up to a lack of reps. He is so good at getting yards after the catch that he often looks downfield before securing the catch, which could be solved with proper coaching and an offseason of reps.
My NFL comparison for Williams is Calvin Ridley, and these are three reasons he would be a perfect fit for this Buffalo Bills offense if he is still on the board at pick 25.