Jameson Williams does not fit the bill for list he has been put on

If not for a torn ACL in his final college game, Jameson Williams might have been the first wide receiver taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. As it was, after the Detroit Lions made a big trade up for him, he was the fourth receiver taken at No. 12 overall.

Williams' rookie season was truncated by rehabbing that ACL tear, with 78 offensive snaps, nine targets and two touches over six games. His second season got off on the wrong foot due to a gambling suspension, but he showed notable progress late last season that he carried into OTAs this year.

Williams has to carry that positive vibe into training camp, and of course through the season. It's possible to be skeptical he'll have a third-year breakout, and there's statistical history that's working against him even if his circumstance through his first two seasons has been unique. His bottom line regular season production so far (25 receptions for 395 yards, three touchdowns-four total touchdowns, over 18 games) does not jump off the page.

Jameson Williams could be labeled a lot of things, but this isn't one of them
Internally with the Lions as well as with the fanbase, there's a lot of hope and expectations attached to Williams this year. Time will tell if he delivers. Opinions on both ends of that conversation can be found, and there isn't always a lot of in-between. It's mostly either boom or bust, with reasons to fully believe in Williams or outright say you don't think he'll do much of anything this year.

But some opinions to the negative side on Williams go a bit too far.

Anthony DiBona of Pro Football Network recently tabbed one overrated player for each NFL team. Williams was his choice for the Lions.

"Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams was supposed to be the next DeSean Jackson or Tyreek Hill. Prior to the 2022 NFL Draft, Williams was regarded as a game-changing deep threat with the ability to score every time he touches the football."

"Yet, in 18 career games with the Lions, he has just 395 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns. Several still believe that Williams has star potential, but he’s surely overrated based on his on-the-field production."

Maybe due to space limitations, DiBona did not mention the reasons Williams has only played 18 games. Overall his production has been underwhelming, or even somewhat disappointing. But he has literally played one game more than a full regular season, and he played 13 snaps a game over his first six as a rookie.

There are a lot of different words, flattering or not, that could be used to describe Williams' NFL career up to this point. Overrated is not on the list, especially while failing to cite the full context of why he hasn't produced big numbers through two seasons.