Even if we ignore the Jameson Williams trade rumors, wide receiver depth is one of the Detroit Lions' most obvious needs. Amon-Ra St. Brown singlehandedly pulls up the average talent in the receiver room, but having Williams, Tim Patrick and Khalif Raymond next up behind him on the depth chart simply doesn't cut it.
Even an offense with a great receiving tight end and elite running backs needs more wide receiver depth in today's NFL. But salaries at the position continue to skyrocket, and teams are forced to get creative with how they can afford to field enough good receivers.
For the Lions, the clear answer is to do that through the draft. And luckily for them, there is a late-round wide receiver prospect that would be the perfect fit for what they need.
Oregon's Tez Johnson is the Perfect Lions Draft Target
Oregon's Tez Johnson is one of the trickier wide receiver prospects to project in the 2025 NFL Draft, but most sources have him somewhere in the late-fourth to early-fifth round range. For the Lions, that would look like using their fourth-round pick or trading into the fifth round to target him. Either of those would be wise moves.
Johnson really hurt his draft stock when he weighed in at just 154 pounds at the combine. At 5-foot-10, that gives him an incredibly thin frame, and some of his more minor measurables (hand size, arm length) also came in on the small end.
So, one lazy argument against him is to question his durability. But with 310 receptions to his name in college, he's so far held up just fine with a huge workload. The physicality of the NFL is different, of course, but we shouldn't let an argument that would have meant downgrading Devonta Smith a few years ago carry too much weight.
So why is Johnson perfect?
His elite quickness jumps off the page immediately. He had the fastest 3-cone and fourth-fastest short shuttle time of all wide receivers at the combine.
Despite his lack of size and uninspiring straight-line speed, his peak years in college saw him average 15.4 and 13.7 yards per reception. He's a serious playmaker if you use him correctly. And even with Ben Johnson out of the fold, the Lions are well equipped to use a receiver correctly.
Jameson Williams isn't as extreme an example as Johnson, but at 6-foot-1 and just 180 pounds, he has similar limitations. And despite that, he's been one of the NFL's most explosive playmakers in Detroit, averaging 15.6 yards per touch across his first three seasons.
St. Brown wins all over the field. Williams is a downfield threat who defenses also need to keep in check horizontally. The Lions' rushing attack must always be respected. Adding another playmaker who can turn screen passes and jet sweeps into touchdowns would make this unit nearly impossible to defend.
With a late-round receiver pick, teams shouldn't be looking for the safe option. The Lions don't need a safe option. The potential to bring in someone who can completely transform this offense on a cheap late-round rookie contract could be the final piece needed to push the Detroit offense all the way over the top.