Dan Campbell calls Jamo "a man on a mission." Jamo: "I've matured a lot more"

As Jameson Williams enters his third year in the NFL, "it's really my first year going out there getting real reps with the ones," he said Thursday after the Lions' third practice of OTA's.

It was an apt reminder of just how little Williams has been able to practice in Detroit, let alone play. He spent most of his first season rehabbing a torn ACL, and entered his second working with the twos as he prepared to serve a gambling suspension, which essentially started early when he went down in training camp with a hamstring injury.

Finally, Williams can stride into a season at full speed, which is the only way he knows how to play. And if you listen to his coach, the 23-year-old is gaining ground on the receiver he wants to be.

"If you said, ‘Give me one player that is the most improved (since the start of spring workouts in April),’ Jamo would be that guy right now," Dan Campbell said Thursday. "He is a man on a mission. I’m just going to leave it at that."

Asked later where specifically Williams has improved, "Everywhere," Campbell said. "Everywhere. And we’re not in pads yet.”

He has grown literally, for one, having put on some muscle since the end of last season. It's evident in his upper half. Williams smiled, pumped his arms like he was hitting the bench press and said, "I've been in that weight room. I do hard time. I don't usually lift. I've been lifting a little bit."

"Hearing that from my coach means a lot because I've been working," said Williams. "I've been putting in work ever since the season ended. ... A little confidence and a little extra on my back, just to push me a little harder."

The work is mental as much as physical. Campbell and Ben Johnson have harped on the importance of Williams understanding how and where he fits into each play on offense, so they can trust him to do his job -- and in turn expand his role. And that's exactly where Williams pointed when asked what he wants to show off in practices over the next month as he strives to establish himself as the Lions' No. 2 receiver behind Amon-Ra St. Brown: "The details."

(Helps that he's already on St. Brown's hip after every play. Nobody is sharper with the details than St. Brown.)

"Lining up right, getting in the right play, running the right play, connecting with the quarterback a couple times a day. (The NFL) is more of a different game," said Williams. "In college, you can freestyle a little bit, just line up anywhere. In the league, you gotta be on your perfect spot and make everything look the same, so they would never know if you're doing this or that. It's just the little things."

It's only been three practices, but Williams has logged some quality work against the Lions' new No. 1 corner, Carlton Davis III. And color the veteran impressed: "He has a bright future," Davis said of Williams. "I love going up against him. He has so many tools in his toolbox, man. He can beat you running fast, he can snap down, he’s a threat in a lot of different ways."

"When you’re going up against a guy like that every day," Davis said, "you have no choice but to get better."

Neither does Williams. He reminded everyone Thursday that he's a work in progress when he burned two defenders in the Lions' secondary during 11 on 11's, then dropped a perfectly-thrown deep ball by Jared Goff that hit him in the hands just a few strides from the end zone. Williams fell to the grass and slammed the ground in frustration. It called to mind an almost identical play around the same time last year: a dropped touchdown after a flawless route in front of a crowd of reporters. All of them watching his every move.

The Lions need this to be Williams' year. He has just 25 catches to his name through two stunted seasons, but they're counting on his star to rise in an offense that must remain among the NFL's best. They subtracted from their receivers room this offseason more than they added, a show of faith in Williams more than anyone else. He sounds ready for the challenge.

"I think I've matured a lot more (from my rookie season)," he said. "Coming in the league, I still had some little childish ways. Wanted to do what I wanted to do, and how I wanted to do it. But sometimes you gotta listen and just get on the right track. Follow the right path, and you'll be down the right way in just a sec."

For Williams, the right path led him to a strong finish last season. He caught 11 passes for 159 yards in his final three regular season games, then had his best game as a pro in the NFC championship game, catching one touchdown and rushing for another on an end-around as the Lions fell just short of the Super Bowl in San Francisco. Williams said people around him still talk about it. He still watches the highlights when they pop up on his phone.

They are reminders of another kind, of everything he can do, and everything he hasn't done yet.

"It's a lot that I'm striving for," Williams said. "The sky is not the limit. I want to go way above the sky. I want to be the best that ever played my position. Somebody asked me my goals and what I think about the game, that's what I want to be when I'm done playing."