Big-play wide receiver from Texas would add to team's offensive arsenal
April 23, 2004
By the process of elimination, the Lions appear to be closing in on Texas wide receiver Roy Williams as their first-round pick Saturday in the NFL draft.
By Curt Sylvester
The other top-rated receiver -- Larry Fitzgerald of Pittsburgh -- is expected to be gone before the Lions exercise the No. 6 overall pick.
Tight end Kellen Winslow of Miami (Fla.), a favorite of the Lions' brain trust, now seems destined for the Washington Redskins at No. 5.
And although Miami (Fla.) safety Sean Taylor is considered a can't-miss high-impact defensive player, the Lions have a greater need for a can't-miss, high-impact offensive player.
Which possibly brings them to Williams, whose speed has put him ahead of Fitzgerald on some draft boards.
The Lions aren't saying that. Too many things could change -- trades, the possibility Oakland might take Williams at No. 2 -- to consider the No. 6 pick a lock.
But with the Redskins indicating they will take Winslow, it appears the Lions will have the choice of drafting Williams or Taylor, unless they opt to trade down for additional draft picks.
There is little doubt Williams is the type of big-play receiver coach Steve Mariucci needs to line up with Charles Rogers and Tai Streets, giving quarterback Joey Harrington the weapons he needs to upgrade the NFL's least-productive offense.
"You know Roy came in," Mariucci said Thursday. "He was one of the 20 youngsters that are allowed to visit, so you get to know them a little bit better, and Roy is one of several players we have an interest in.
"There's going to be several players we would be very happy on that sixth pick if that's the pick we have on the first day."
There's still an "if" involved because Mariucci and Lions president Matt Millen say they are willing to listen to offers from any team interested in trading for the Lions' pick.
"We're going to do the best we can to help our football team," Mariucci said. "It doesn't have to be on offense, it could be on defense."
Millen denied two of the most recent rumors -- that the Lions were talking to Jacksonville about trading down for a second-round pick or safety Donovin Darius, and that Pittsburgh had approached the Lions about moving up to the No. 6 slot.
By trading down, the Lions still could get one of this year's talented wide receivers, or they could get one of the two top running backs -- Steven Jackson of Oregon State or Kevin Jones of Virginia Tech.
Any of those choices presumably would improve the offense, but if the Lions keep the sixth pick, they will be assured of one of the elite players in the draft -- Williams or Taylor.
This is considered one of the most promising classes of wide receivers in years, and Williams' combination of size and speed separates him from some of the others.
At 6-feet-2 and 212 pounds, he has ideal size, and his speed enables him to run away from many defensive backs. Williams, timed at 4.48 seconds in the 40-yard dash, has been compared to Minnesota wide receiver Randy Moss in play-making ability.
If the Lions draft Williams, it will be their second consecutive season to take a wide receiver in the first round. They took Rogers at No. 2 last year, but he played only five games before suffering a season-ending broken collarbone.
Even as a rookie starter, Rogers attracted double coverage. With the addition of Williams -- plus Streets as a third receiver -- the Lions don't think opponents could focus all of their coverage attention on Rogers, thereby making all of them more dangerous targets for Harrington.
RESTORE THE ROAR IN 2004
