INDIANAPOLIS – Jameson Williams was excited to be back in Indianapolis, even though he has some painful memories tied to the city.
The Alabama wide receiver tore his ACL in January in Lucas Oil Stadium during the College Football Playoff title game as his team lost to Georgia. Seven weeks later, Williams is back for the NFL combine.
After a breakout season with 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns on 79 catches, Williams hopes his body of work will outweigh his knee injury in the eyes of the NFL. The injury could possibly have him still available for the Buffalo Bills, who are set to pick at No. 25.
“I hope it doesn’t affect me, but I’m not sure how it affects me,” Williams said Wednesday. “At the end of the day, I just hope to get drafted. I hope a team takes a shot at me.”
Williams said that he’s hearing he’s ahead of schedule on the recovery, but he also is being careful not to rush it. He’s hopeful about the possibility of being ready for training camp, but cautious.
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“Recovery is going well,” he said. “I’m about six weeks out of surgery. Have been walking well. Walking without the brace for two weeks. Walking without the crutches for three weeks. Been doing well. Just recently been getting running motion. Everything has just been going good, really.”
Williams said Wednesday that he has met with the Bills, among about 20 teams at that point. The receiver knows if he were to wind up in Buffalo, he’d be happy with his quarterback.
“Josh Allen, I feel like he’s a great quarterback,” Williams said. “I would love to play with Josh Allen. But, yes, I’ve also had a meeting with the Bills, too. Hopefully we can stay in contact, too.”
If Williams were to be available at No. 25, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said he would consider him, but he needs some more information.
“Yeah, I mean, I think we’re going to take the best player, we really are,” Beane said. “His case is a little – got an asterisk by it, because he’s not healthy. And so the doctors definitely have to weigh in on where he’s at in his rehab process, what does that look like?”
It’s reminiscent of running back Willis McGahee. McGahee tore multiple ligaments in his knee in the 2003 Fiesta Bowl after catching a pass from then-Miami quarterback and current Bills offensive coordinator Ken Dorsey. The injury meant he could have dropped further in the draft, but the Bills selected him in the first round with the 23rd pick. McGahee did not play his first season as he continued to rehab.
NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah thinks a drop for Williams – who had been widely projected as a first-round, and even possible top-10 pick, ahead of the injury – could make him a steal.
“We'll see what happens with Jameson Williams from Alabama, because in a world where he doesn't get hurt, he's a top-10 pick,” Jeremiah said in a conference call ahead of the combine. “But coming off of an ACL, you would think there would be a full recovery there, and that could end up being – man, it could end up being a tremendous value for somebody towards the bottom of the first round if he ends up sliding down there.”
Beane noted that Williams’ injury was a few months after Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White’s, when talking about the timeline. Williams’ timeline shapes what kind of questions Beane and the Bills would sort through before potentially taking him.
“Does that mean are you drafting him and he’s starting the year on PUP? Does that mean he has a full redshirt year?” Beane said. “Did the surgery, did everything work out perfectly in the surgery? Is he on time for October 1st? Those are the things that we’ll have to get answers to, but if you took his injury out, and he was the best player on the board, no doubt.”
Williams spent two years at Ohio State before transferring to Alabama, where he felt his deeper involvement in the offense benefited him and the team. It put his downfield ability on display, something he thinks teams should notice.
“I feel like that is gonna be a big benefit. My deep play threat is exciting and it happens frequently,” he said. “So, I feel like it would be a big add-on to whatever team takes a shot at me.”
With his recovery going well, Williams hopes to showcase his skills on the field again as soon as possible. Asked what his 40-yard dash time would have been, he was confident in his speed.
“What would it be? I just know nobody can run with me,” Williams said. “I don’t know no 40 time. I just know nobody can run with me. Just say whatever the fastest 40 time here, I’m faster.”
