Detroit Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu has had a first-hand look at the speed of wide receiver Jameson Williams for the past two years.
Appearing on the "Football Analysis" podcast this week, the fourth-year defensive back shared his assessment of Williams' growth during the offseason.
“Jamo looks really good. Jamo is the best I’ve seen him since I’ve been in Detroit. He’s making plays. In OTAs, he was making plays almost every day. He was making plays, whether it was deep, short, intermediate, all over the field," said Melifonwu. "And for some reason, I feel like he was faster than he was before. That’s what it seems like to me. I feel like he’s gonna have a really good season, he’s a really good player.”
Matching up against a player that can take the top off the defense at any given moment presents unique challenges to defensive backs.
"You almost have to know where he’s at. This is with anyone in the league, based on where players are kind of tells you different things. But you definitely have to know where he’s at and make sure you keep the top of the defense," Melifonwu said. "Don’t let him get behind you. You’re definitely aware of where the speedsters are, no matter if it’s Jamo or someone on a different team. You have to be aware.”
Improved secondary
This offseason, general manager Brad Holmes revamped Detroit's secondary, adding veteran talent and young rookies who are expected to be part of the team's foundation for many years to come.
“I feel like the secondary heading into this year, on paper, just looks a whole lot different. You could just tell the difference in OTAs. It’s gonna be, in the whole secondary, a whole lot of competition that just makes us better," said Melifonwu. "But, I definitely think we improved on the field and off the field, just like how everyone messes with each other and how the older guys help the young guys and the guys that’s been there, even if they’re younger, they’ll help the dudes we signed. I feel like it’s definitely gonna be better overall than it was last year.”
Rookies who caught his attention
During his tenure in Motown, the 25-year-old has seen the roster revamped, including adding talented rookies to the roster.
The talented safety shared when asked what his opinions were when the team added high-end talent in the past few drafts.
"Obviously my second year, (Aidan Hutchinson) Hutch came in, everyone knew who Hutch was. Off of that pick, you already knew, ‘Brad Holmes did it again.’ But just watching him practice and everything, you knew he was a dog," Melifonwu explained. "Jamo coming off the injury, when he first came to practice, nobody had ever seen speed like that. The next year, coming in with (Brian Branch) BB, BB been a dog since OTAs and training camp. I feel like (Sam) LaPorta was good, he was catching everything, but once we started playing the games, that’s when it was really, ‘Oh s**t, LaPorta’s really like that.’ It just happens at different moments for different players."
Other players selected took a little time to showcase their skills, including running back Jahmyr Gibbs.
"Some you can see it right away, in OTAs, training camp. Some it might take one game. (Jahmyr) Gibbs had kind of a slow start, we knew Gibbs was fast as hell in practice and everything and a good running back from watching his tape. It took him a little bit, took him like four or five games before he had a breakout game against the Raiders. So it all happens differently for different players," said Melifonwu. "Even my class, Penei’s been a dog since he got there, St. Brown was so consistent rookie year. But then for me and Derrick Barnes, we kind of like, well Derrick probably popped out in 2022. For me, it took me this year. Everyone has their breakout seasons and breakout moments. It just happens differently for every player.”
