Detroit Lions Rookie Receiver to Miss Beginning of Season

The Detroit Lions won't be getting much out of their first-round pick early this year. Accoring to NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, the team placed rookie wide receiver Jameson Williams on the Reserve/NFI list earlier this morning:

The #Lions are moving rookie WR Jameson Williams to the Reserve/NFI list today, per source.

This was always the plan for Williams, the first-round pick who suffered a torn ACL in January’s national championship game. The hope is he’ll be ready to play around midseason.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) August 23, 2022

The move guarantees Williams will miss the first four games of the regular season and potentially more. Coming off a 3-13-1 season, the Lions drafted Williams looking to the future, knowing he was unlikely to help them in the short term.

That the Lions drafted Williams so high despite such a serious injury speaks to his rare talent. This past year's 12th overall pick, Williams had a dominant 2021 season for the NCAA Championship runner-up Alabama Crimson Tide, amassing 1572 yards and 15 touchdowns across 15 games.

After trading away franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford last offseason, the Lions are clearly in no rush to compete. After four consecutive losing seasons, they've decided the road back to relevance is a long one and Williams's timeline suits them just fine.