People are really starting to believe out there. There’s multiple outlets that believe the Lions could win or contend for the Super Bowl this season. When you have teams like that, you don’t always expect them to have breakout players, you expect them to just already have players that a really good. The Lions have both.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler recently got together with NFL execs and coaches to predict the award winners from around the league. While breakout player isn’t an award, they made their selection and that is Jameson Williams. Here’s what they had to say.
“As if Detroit doesn’t already boast one of the league’s elite rosters, it elevates a high-upside No. 2 receiver in a prominent role.
Williams’ first two seasons were marred by injury recovery and a gambling suspension. His blurry speed through the preseason is making people forget about his shaky career start.
‘He’s in a great offense, and Amon-Ra (St. Brown) isn’t a secret anymore, so [Williams] should get one-on-one looks,’ an AFC executive said. ‘He can absolutely fly and is an ideal deep threat for Jared Goff. He looks like himself again, too.”
It’s a very easy pick. Everyone in the media has seen this guy transform into a baller this summer. He does look like the kid from Alabama that everyone thought was the best receiver in the 2022 NFL draft. He should have a solid year.
We want to offer up one more player that we think can have a breakout season and put the league on notice. Our choice is Levi Onwuzurkie.
If you’ve paid any attention to Dan Campbell’s pressers this past spring and summer then you know Onwuzurkie gets brought up almost daily at this point. Campbell just talked about him Monday.
“Levi’s had – this has been since spring. He came in and he clearly looked better. He looked healthy. He’s big, he’s strong. Then training camp with pads, whatever this has been, 30 days, hard heavy work, live days, you name it and he’s – there’s no indication that this is not holding up. He looks just as strong and powerful as ever. I think it’s here to stay, so nothing’s going to tell me that it’s not and that’s really been the hold back is his body, trusting his body, and then once his body’s going to hold up, now he’s been able to bank the reps. So, he’s continued to grow and get better as a football player because now he’s got – everything that God gave him, he can use. So, he’s in a good place right now and yeah, I think he’s very much going to be a part of this. He’s one of those pieces I think of when it comes time to closing the pocket down on the quarterback, I think he’s one of those guys. I really do.”
Onwuzurkie seems primed for a major season in 2024 and while he’ll be primarily a rotational piece, don’t be surprised if he’s the most used rotational piece there is on this team.