The Detroit Lions used their two first-round picks in the 2022 NFL Draft on Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson at No. 2 and Alabama wide receiver Jameson Williams at No. 12.

Hutchinson finished second in the balloting for the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, and the first time that Williams touched the football in an NFL game, Hutchinson knew Detroit had an all-star in its second pick, too.

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On Dec. 11, Williams started the Lions’ scoring in a 34-23 victory over the Minnesota Vikings when he got behind the secondary for a 41-yard reception.

“It happened right as he scored that touchdown,” Hutchinson said during a recent appearance on the “Green Light with Chris Long” podcast. “We’re all sitting there on the sideline — because we know how fast he is. And I mean, he was still not 100 percent coming off that knee surgery. I mean, those ACL guys are not 100 percent until a year and a half after. We were all sitting there on the sideline just stargazing and really excited about next year.”

Williams got off to such a late start in his rookie season because he sustained a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his final college game – the CFP championship contest for the 2021 season.

Williams wasn’t able to practice with his new teammates until Nov. 21. The Lions activated him on Dec. 3, and he made his NFL debut the next day, 47 weeks after his knee injury.

Williams played only 78 offensive snaps during his rookie season.

On Jan. 1, Williams got his other opportunity to touch the football and went 40 yards on an end-around in Detroit’s 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“What happened when the ball got in his hands last year?” Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson said on the “Twentyman in the Huddle” podcast. “Explosion. And so we see it, you see it, everyone sees it. It’s there.

“Consistency, that’s really the name of the game. We’ve had some great conversations with Jame-o even since the season ended. I know his mind’s going to be right when he gets back in there in the springtime. He’s really looking forward to taking that next step as a player and really making a big impact on this league.”

The Lions are scheduled to start their offseason program on April 17.

Detroit’s leading wide receiver last season was Amon-Ra St. Brown, who earned Pro Bowl recognition with 106 receptions for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns.

The Lions had three other wide receivers of note in 2022 – Kalif Raymond with 47 receptions for 616 yards, DJ Chark with 30 receptions for 502 yards and three touchdowns and Josh Reynolds with 38 receptions for 479 yards and three touchdowns.

Chark has left in free agency for the Carolina Panthers, but the Lions added Marvin Jones, a former 1,000-yard receiver for Detroit, in the same way. Jones has played for the Jacksonville Jaguars the past two seasons, and he had 46 receptions for 529 yards and three touchdowns in 2022.

“We’ll move him around,” Johnson said of Williams. “He’ll be all over the place for us. I know this: When you get speed in the slot, it’s very hard to defend for a defense. There’ll be times we do that. There’ll be times when he’ll be X, he’ll be Z, but there’s a lot you can do.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.