The NFL’s Next Speed Demon: Jameson Williams Poised to Take League by Storm with Blazing Speed
Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams has been a huge part of the team’s offensive success in what has been a breakout third season.
A big attribute he has at his disposal is blazing speed. Williams is regarded as one of the fastest players in the game, and believes thoroughly in his abilities. He’s so confident, in fact, that he believes he could run a 4.1-second 40-yard dash.
“I think I can. I probably could run faster. I saw bro said he don’t believe it’s a 4.1,” Williams stated. “I believe in it. People who know me know I can do that, though.”
There’s little evidence on either side, as Williams did not run the 40-yard dash as a prospect ahead of the 2022 Draft due to a knee injury suffered in the national championship game during his final year at Alabama.
“I never ran a 40. That’s what I’m saying. I never had to do that,” Williams said. “If Madden respect me enough to (give me) 98 speed out the gate? That’s a 4.1. No 40 and 98 speed? If I was a 99, it would be like a 3.9 or a 4.0.”
A pair of Williams’ teammates, quarterback Jared Goff and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, chimed in with doubts about whether Williams could actually achieve that feat.
“Yeah, I guess if he says so, I don’t know. We’ll have to go measure it sometime,” Goff said. “He’s hard to track down if we want to measure his 40, but he says 4.1, we have to hold him accountable.”
“I do love Jamo, but I don’t know if he’s touching 4.1,” St. Brown added with a smile. “That’s crazy, that’s crazy.”
Growing as a player
Williams bellieves he still has room to grow as a player in the midst of his banner year.
The speedster has demonstrated a more nuanced route tree, along with an added layer of intensity as a run blocker and the ability to contribute more in the short and intermediate passing game in addition to his role as a deep threat.
In his pursuit to be one of the NFL‘s best, he isn’t settling for just these improvements, though. Rather, he’s taking a wide-ranging approach to his development.
