Former Alabama receiver Jameson Williams provides update post ACL surgery

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported some good news on NFL draft prospect and former Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams.

Williams is coming off of ACL surgery to repair the ligament damaged in the national championship game. According to Rapoport, the former Crimson Tide receiver is doing well post-surgery.

“Spoke with former Bama WR Jameson Williams one week after an ACL repair from Dr. James Andrews in Pensacola. @bigsgjamo (Williams) said ‘I’m feeling awesome. Ready to get down this road.’ Rocky Arceneaux of @Alliance_Sports said he’s already ahead of schedule following the clean tear,” reported Rapoport via Twitter.

In his lone season with Alabama, Williams put up fantastic numbers. The star receiver accumulated 79 receptions for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide. Williams was a huge piece of Alabama’s offense and consistent all season long. And despite his injury, he’ll be one of the most coveted prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.

ESPN draft expert on Williams draft stock

When Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams went down with a torn ACL in the national championship, fans asked how that’d impact his draft stock. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper shared his thoughts on just how far he’d fall.

He’ll still be in the first round — and Kiper called him a “bargain.”

During his Mock Draft 1.0 reveal show on Wednesday, Kiper projected Williams to the New England Patriots with the No. 21 overall pick. He went on to explain what the Patriots could be getting in Williams even after the injury.

“They need weapons and they’re going to get a guy at 21 that had he not had the ACL in the national championship game … would have beaten Georgia,” Kiper said. “But he got hurt early second quarter. Now the ACL pushes him to 21 where he could have been a pick in that 7 to 10 area. And now the New England Patriots can say, ‘Hey, we’re getting a bargain here. Had he not been injured, we wouldn’t have seen him at this point. We would have had to trade way up to get him. Now we’re patient. We got to wait for him to get healthy.’

“It’ll be well worth it. He can take the top off the defense like no other. He is a warrior. … Great player to have on your football team with the energy he plays with. He is a true baller. You think about a guy who goes out there and gives it everything he has every snap. Gotta love Jameson Williams. It’s awful what happened, but the Patriots would get themselves a heck of a steal if he can get back to where he was and be there at 21 when he would have been a guaranteed top-10 pick. I think that’s a nice choice and worth the gamble at that point.”