There weren’t may bright spots offensively for the Detroit Lions in the preseason opener against the New York Giants. Undrafted rookie wide receiver Isaiah Williams was clearly one though, with a team-high four catches for 35 yards along with 56 yards on two kickoff returns.
After the game, via Lions Wire, head coach Dan Campbell had some nice praise for Williams.
“Isaiah Williams showed up,” Campbell said. “I mean, he made some plays out there, and that was clear. That was clear to see. He did some really good things that showed up.”
Williams is a dark horse to make the Lions’ 53-man roster, so carrying the momentum from his good showing in the preseason opener will be important. But the group of backup wide receivers largely didn’t do much against the Giants, while the reigning Big Ten receptions leader seized the moment.
Isaiah Williams is tapping into an easy source for advice, guidance
Going undrafted sets someone behind a little bit in a quest to have an NFL career. Kalif Raymond went undrafted out of Holy Cross in 2016, then he went through four organizations before landing with the Lions in 2021. He has 130 catches over three seasons in Detroit, while becoming one of the best punt returners in the league. Raymond, overlooked and undersized himself coming out of college, can see a lot of himself in Williams.
Williams, as passed along by Tim Twentyman of Lions.com, did not waste any time trying to foster a relationship with Raymond.
“I remember my first day of OTAs, after OTAs we practiced and I talked to Kalif and I was asking him questions and he literally gave me a rundown of everything,” Williams said.
“Like, ‘This is what OTAs is going to be like. When you get back from OTAs, expect this. When you go into the offseason, make sure you’re doing this.’ He literally told me, ‘ok, when camp starts, you’re not going to get that many punts in actual practice.’ That’s why after practice we are catching punts because during practice I don’t really get that much. He said, ‘In a game, you’re going to get thrown in there.’ That’s what happened.”
Williams did not stop there regarding Raymond’s influence on him.
“He’s like a big brother to me,” Williams said. “Somebody I look up to. Somebody that I study all the time. He’s just a good dude. Even beyond football as a person. I look up to him as a person. How he carries himself. Man, I can’t say enough good things about that dude. He’s a real solid dude.”
“Even before the game he told me, ‘I’m going to give you one thing today, bro. Run every single route like you’re going to get the ball. Every single route.’ I mean, it paid off. Everything he tells me, it’s great advice and it pays off.”
Williams is smart to attach himself to Raymond as he tries to get his NFL career going. And credit to Raymond for embracing his role as an influential veteran other players can, and should, model their own work ethics after.
