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The Lions moved up 20 spots in the first round to select former Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams, and general manager Brad Holmes said this week that Williams was “the primary target” of any aggressive moves the team made in the wanted to lead the draft.
Holmes said on 97.1 The Ticket that their deal with the Vikings was conditional on Williams being available and he might have left the board sooner were it not for the cruciate ligament rupture he suffered in January. That could affect Williams’ immediate availability, but Holmes said he’s thinking long-term when it comes to how long Williams will stay in Detroit.
Noting that the deals signed by receivers this offseason are “spiking at an alarming rate” and said an option on Williams’ contract for a fifth year makes the move all the more appealing.
“I’d say it’s good to have that fifth-year option for a guy like that, given the whole picture,” Holmes said of the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers. “Specifically at Jameson, he was a guy where there was total buy-in and total conviction. I was just in love with him. I said, ‘Look, this is a guy that we want to get and I think he can be a game changer for us.'”
If Holmes’ assessment of Williams’ abilities is correct, Williams could be in the market for a new contract before he begins his fifth season and Holmes’ chances are still in place to make the decision to sign him one to give should look pretty good.