Jameson Williams on how coming from family of track stars has helped football career

Jameson Williams had a successful collegiate career as a wide receiver. Over the course of three seasons at Ohio State and then Alabama, Williams – a former On3 Consensus four-star recruit – tallied 1,838 yards and 18 touchdowns, and that’s why he became a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Selected No. 12 overall by the Detroit Lions last Thursday night, Williams’ dream of playing in the NFL came true, and now he is ready to get to Detroit and suit up for the Lions. While most of the athletes in his family were track and field stars, Williams stuck with football – and it’s worked out for him.

While meeting with the media for the first time after being drafted, Williams shared how coming from a family of track stars has helped his football career up to this point – especially from a speed standpoint.

“I don’t think it’s fast. I think it’s that we was kind of fast but were working to get faster,” Williams said. “A lot of working out, a lot of competing, so we tried to put that upon ourselves. We for sure was blessed with speed.”

Garrett Wilson reveals emotions on former teammates Chris Olave, Jameson Williams getting drafted with him

At one point, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave and Jameson Williams were all teammates in the same wide receiver room together at Ohio State – giving the Buckeyes a dominant trio of wideouts who could produce at a high level.

Although Williams ultimately transferred to Alabama for the 2021 season, the three receivers built strong relationships with one another while they were teammates in Columbus, and they’ve remained close as they all head to the NFL.

During his introductory press conference with the New York Jets, Wilson shared what it meant to him to be drafted alongside both Olave and Williams.

“I mean, it was crazy,” Wilson said. “All three – me, Chris and Jamo – were all in the same room at one point. To hear my name and my dream coming true, and we talked about this stuff every day. … So, to know that their dreams are coming true and they’re going to different cities, it was just a special moment.”