Next Thursday, 32 dreams will be realized when the NFL draft gets underway in Las Vegas. We’ve combed through tape, scouting reports and mock drafts. We watched a lot of these players in college. If you feel like you can figure out what NFL general managers are thinking, the draft props at BetMGM are a fun way to add some spice to the draft.
Over the past few weeks, one particular player’s odds have been shifting rapidly. Jameson Williams of Alabama might not be the first name you think of, but bettors love him to go relatively early as we head into the 2022 draft.
Williams is shooting up the betting leaderboard
Jameson Williams had a tremendous season for Alabama in 2021, as he was tasked with replacing the production of former Crimson Tide receivers Jerry Jeudy, Devonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle and Henry Ruggs from the past two seasons. He caught 79 passes for 1,572 yards and 15 touchdowns over 15 games and was Alabama’s leading receiver.
Williams has good size at 6-foot-2, 190 pounds and while he didn’t run at the combine, it’s projected he would have run his 40-yard dash in around 4.3 seconds, making him one of the fastest receivers in this year’s draft. We saw the production he was capable of this past year. Alabama also has a history of putting top-end receivers in the league, whether it’s the aforementioned quartet of youngsters, or older receivers like Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and Calvin Ridley.
However, there are two main question marks surrounding Williams.
The reason Williams didn’t run at the combine was because he’s recovering from ACL surgery, an injury he sustained in Alabama’s loss to Georgia in the national championship game. While there’s a long history of players returning successfully from ACL injuries, it certainly didn’t help Williams in comparison to his peers.
The other question with Williams is why he couldn’t get on the field at Ohio State. Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson are two other receivers projected to go early in this draft, and Williams…